Androgen and estrogen secretion by normal and neoplastic ovaries in premenopausal women

Peripheral and ovarian venous concentrations of estradiol-17 beta, estrone, testosterone, and androstenedione were measured in 47 premenopausal women at the time of laparotomy. Ovarian histology was normal in 32 women, and 15 women had a unilateral (N = 13) or bilateral (N = 2) ovarian neoplasm. That the concentrations of these steroids in women with normal ovaries were comparable to values reported by others suggests that surgical stress did not affect the results. The concentration of both estrogens in the vein draining a nonfunctional neoplasm were significantly less than estrogen concentrations in the vein draining the ovary with the dominant follicle or corpus luteum. Peripheral venous estrogen, as well as androgen concentrations were normal in women with a nonfunctional neoplasm. Peripheral concentrations and concentrations of both androgens in the vein draining the ovary with a functional neoplasm were increased significantly. In 21 to 33% of all women with a neoplasm, the ovarian venous concentration of one or both androgens was increased significantly. No woman with an ovarian neoplasm had a significant increase in ovarian venous estrogen concentration. Although we did not define the mechanism for a selective increase in ovarian androgen secretion in a fraction of women, we conclude that any ovarian neoplasm may be associated with abnormal ovarian secretion of sex steroids.