What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to identify hormonal differences between high-risk women and breast cancer patients during menopause.

April 5, 2026

Abstract 5022: Hormonal alterations distinguishing high-risk women from breast cancer patients across the menopause transition

Key Result

Plasma levels of estrone, estradiol, deoxycorticosterone, and progesterone were significantly lower in premenopausal breast cancer patients compared to high-risk cancer-free women.

Key Points

This research aims to identify hormonal differences between high-risk women and breast cancer patients during menopause.
Measured 11 hormones in plasma samples from 206 women (80 with breast cancer, 126 high-risk)
Compared hormone levels across groups
Conducted correlation analyses between hormone levels and body mass index (BMI)
Plasma levels of estrone, estradiol, deoxycorticosterone, and progesterone were lower in premenopausal breast cancer patients than high-risk women
E1 levels positively correlated with BMI in postmenopausal high-risk women
E2 levels positively correlated with BMI in postmenopausal breast cancer patients
BMI negatively correlated with cortisol, testosterone, and 17α-deoxypregnenolone in postmenopausal high-risk women

Structured PICO

Do plasma hormone levels distinguish high-risk women from breast cancer patients across the menopause transition?

Population

206 women, including 80 diagnosed with breast cancer and 126 high-risk but cancer-free women

Comparator

High-risk cancer-free women

Outcome

Plasma levels of 11 common hormonessurrogate

Reduced levels of specific hormones (E1, E2, DOC, PROG) distinguish premenopausal high-risk women from those with active breast cancer, highlighting potential metabolic-hormonal interactions in cancer progression.

Main Result

Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%

Abstract

Abstract Hormonal level changes during the menopause transition have been proposed to influence breast cancer risk. Epidemiologic studies indicate that postmenopausal women with higher circulating estrogen levels are at an increased risk of developing breast cancer, suggesting that alterations in hormone profiles may reflect disease progression. However, few studies have investigated hormonal differences between high-risk women and those with active cancer. In this study, we measured 11 common hormones in plasma samples from 206 women, including 80 diagnosed with breast cancer and 126 high-risk but cancer-free women. We found that plasma levels of estrone (E1), estradiol (E2), deoxycorticosterone (DOC), and progesterone (PROG) were significantly lower in premenopausal breast cancer patients compared to high-risk women. Correlation analyses revealed that E1 levels were positively associated with body mass index (BMI) in postmenopausal high-risk individuals, while E2 levels showed a similar positive correlation in postmenopausal cancer patients. In contrast, BMI was negatively correlated with cortisol, testosterone, and 17α-deoxypregnenolone in postmenopausal high-risk women. These findings suggest that hormonal alterations, specificially reduced levels of E1, E2, DOC, and PROG, distinguish premenopausal high-risk women from those with active breast cancer. The menopause-dependent changes in hormone-BMI associations indicate that metabolic-hormonal interactions may drive the transition from cancer susceptibility to malignancy. Citation Format: Jiaqing Hao, Reilly T. Enos, Sam Rosin, Jinyu Wang, Shanshan Liu, Melissa A. Curry, Sonia L. Sugg, Marinella Temprosa, E. Angela Murphy, Bing Li. Hormonal alterations distinguishing high-risk women from breast cancer patients across the menopause transition abstract. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2026; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2026 Apr 17-22; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2026;86(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 5022.

Bookmark