Studies on apparent free cortisol and testosterone in plasma from patients with breast tumours

The concentrations of cortisol and testosterone (total and apparent free) in peripheral venous plasma were measured in 147 women. The results showed that there were no significant differences in concentrations between women with normal breasts, those with histologically confirmed benign or malignant breast tumours and those with cancer at other sites. There was, however, a significant increase with age in the concentrations of total (P less than 0.005) and apparent free (P less than 0.02) cortisol.