Neonatal Hormone Concentrations and Risk of Testicular Germ Cell Tumors (TGCT).
Abstract
Background: Testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) incidence has increased over the last 40 years in the United States. In contrast to TGCT among infants, it is hypothesized that TGCT in adolescents and young men is the result of sex steroid hormone imbalance during early fetal development. However, little is known about the neonatal period when abrupt hormonal changes occur, and direct supporting evidence is scarce due to the difficulties in obtaining prediagnostic specimens.Methods: We conducted a population-based case-control study examining hormone levels at birth among 91 infants (0-4 years) and 276 adolescents (15-19 years) diagnosed with TGCT, and 344 matched controls. Estrogen and androgen levels were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) from archived newborn dried blood spots. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between each hormone level and TGCT risk.Results: Higher levels of androstenedione were associated with increased TGCT risk among adolescents [odds ratio (OR): 2.33, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37-3.97 for highest vs. lowest quartile; P trend = 0.003] but not among infants (OR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.28-1.77). A similar pattern was observed for testoste...Continue Reading
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