Steroid Hormone Metabolism in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Individual metabolites of steroid hormones were isolated and measured from the urine of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. The results were compared with earlier studies of patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia, men with prostatic cancer, women with breast cancer and normal men and women. The metabolites of hydrocortisone were in the normal range for the patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia but the amount of tetrahydrocortisol was generally greater than that of tetrahydrocortisone. There was no evidence for a sex difference in the production of these metabolites. The tentative conclusion was drawn that metabolites of the "adrenal androgens" were also in the normal range in chronic myelogenous leukemia. These results contrast with those in chronic lymphatic leukemia patients where a sex difference in production of hydrocortisone was evident and the metabolites of "adrenal androgens" were at low levels in both sexes.