[Serum HDL-cholesterol in patients with breast carcinoma]

To extend our previous findings on lipid metabolism in breast carcinoma, serum levels of cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol in 144 patients with breast carcinoma, 64 patients with cervix carcinoma, 52 patients with benign breast diseases and 83 healthy females were determined. Blood samples, obtained from patients with carcinoma of the breast and the cervix, were taken prior to radical surgery and at the time of sampling, none of them had received chemotherapy and/or total intravenous nutritional therapy. No significance was observed in the serum levels of cholesterol between the patients with carcinoma, benign diseases and healthy females. The serum levels of HDL-cholesterol, measured by the heparin-calcium-nickel precipitation method were lower among the patients with breast carcinoma than among the patients with cervix carcinoma and healthy females. The mean values and S.D.s of serum HDL-cholesterol of the patients in stage I (23), II (35) and (7) were 42.0 +/- 14.7, 36. 4 +/- 13.1 and 28.7 +/- 9.5 mg/100 ml, respectively, exhibiting a tendency to decrease with the increase in malignancy.