DOI: 10.36347/sajb.2015.v03i08.010

Pages: 692-697

: Breast cancer is usually present for many years (as long as 5-10 years) before it can be clinically diagnosed (theory of the ‘dormant malignant cell’). This implies that breast cancer cells, during their subclinical period, are likely to have been exposed for a considerable period of time to endogenous prolactin. So, we planned this study to evaluate the role of endogenous prolactin hormone, if any, in postmenopausal females excluding the patients on hormone replacement therapy to know whether there is any relationship between breast cancers and if there is any relation – whether it is a positive or negative? Is there any effect on serum prolactin after the treatment? Hormone therapy is known to affect these hormone levels but whether treatment of breast cancer per se also decreases the serum prolactin levels is not known. We planned the present study to determine serum prolactin levels in patients before and after 4 months of treatment (chemotherapy/surgery and radiotherapy). Circulating hormone levels were measured using a chemiluminescence method. Their results were compared with a group of 25 age matched healthy controls. We found that serum prolactin levels were very significantly higher in patients before treatment (Group I) as compared to controls (Group III). Serum prolactin levels were significantly higher in patients before treatment (Group I) when compared after 4 months of treatment (Group II). We concluded that postmenopausal females with breast cancer have abnormalities in serum prolactin levels. These abnormalities may be considered in the pathogenesis of the disease and should be taken into account in the treatment of patients of breast cancer. It might also be helpful to delay the onset of cancer by normalizing the levels of these hormones and in deciding the treatment modality for the patients once breast cancer has been diagnosed but further studies are required to prove the benefit of measuring serum hormone levels as a screening test.