Preoperative level of sex hormones as a predictor (prognostic factor) of the morphological characteristics of testicular malignancies

Abstract

Introduction. Testicular cancer (TC) mostly affect young men of reproductive age. Several studies have shown correlation between the level of sex hormones in testicular cancer and serum tumor markers. However, currently, the relationship between hormone levels before orchidectomy and the clinical and pathomorphological characteristics of the tumor has not been sufficiently studied. Aim of the study: to analyze the relationship between hormone levels and the clinical stage and histological characteristics of the tumor in patients with testicular cancer and to develop prognostic models. Material and Methods. This prospective single-center study included 66 patients with testicular cancer. Localized, locally advanced and metastatic testicular cancer was diagnosed in 55 (83.3 %), 9 (13.6 %) and 2 (3.0 %) patients, respectively. A preoperative assessment of hormones such as total and free testosterone (T), estradiol (E2)), gonadotropic hormones (LH, FLH, Prolactin) and b-HCG was carried out. Patients were divided into 2 groups depending on the histological structure of the tumor: seminoma (n=31) and non-seminoma (n=35). The following parameters were assessed: tumor size, lymphovascular invasion and rete testis invasion. Results. In non-seminoma tumors, the values of sex hormones and beta-hCG were higher, but the values of gonadotropic hormones were lower compared with typical seminomas (p<0.05). High concentrations of b-HCG were observed predominantly in pT3 compared to pT1 stages (p=0.018). Correlation analysis revealed a connection between total (ρ=0.351; p=0.004) and free T (ρ=0.342; p=0.008), E2 (ρ=0.292; p=0.022), b-HCG (ρ=0.244; p= 0.048), LH (ρ=-0.287; p=0.039), FSH (ρ=-0.264; p=0.04) and the size of the primary tumor. The presence of rete testis invasion was accompanied by a low LH value and a high b-HCG value compared to patients without this prognostic parameter (p=0.015, p<0.001, respectively). Prognostic models were developed to determine the probability of histological structure and the presence of rete testis invasion (p<0.001) with high sensitivity (82.1 % and 76.5 %) and specificity (76.9 % and 100 %). Conclusion. The findings suggest that non-seminoma tumors are associated with changes in the pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. The high values of sex hormones and low values of gonadotropic hormones before orchidectomy are associated with a large size of the primary tumor. Additionally, a low LH value and a high b-HCG value are predictors of rete testis invasion. High b-HCG levels are associated with more aggressive tumor biology and poor prognosis.