Sex hormone receptors in acoustic neuromas
Siglock, T.J.; Rosenblatt, S.S.; Finck, F.; House, W.F.; Hitselberger, W.E.
American Journal of Otology 11(4): 237-239
1990
ISSN/ISBN: 0192-9763 PMID: 2399940 Document Number: 367232
We performed quantitative assays for estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone receptors in 19 acoustic neuroma specimens from ten men and nine women. No patient received preoperative or intraoperative glucocorticoids, mineralocorticoids, or sex hormones. All tumors were unilateral and removed by the translabyrinthine approach. No tumor specimen was positive for estrogen or testosterone receptors. Three of ten men and seven of nine women had tumors positive for progesterone receptors (10 fmol/mg cytosol protein or greater). This between-sex difference was of borderline significance by the Mann-Whitney U test (p = 0.08). This finding indicates the need for further investigations of endocrinologic therapy as a possible treatment of acoustic neuromas.