Response of plasma fibrinogen and plasminogen to hormone treatment and the relation of pretreatment values to mortality in patients with prostatic cancer

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Abstract
Fibrinogen and plasminogen were measured in plasma samples from prostatic cancer patients before and after 3 months of treatment with either Premarin, Provera, Provera and diethylstilbestrol, one of three doses of diethylstilbestrol, or placebo. Plasminogen levels generally were increased significantly with the estrogens but were unchanged following placebo or Provera treatment. Pretreatment plasminogen levels in Study 3 were significantly lower (p < 0.001) than in Study 2. Plasminogen pretreatment levels were significantly correlated with age, hemoglobin, body weight, and blood pressure. Fibrinogen pretreatment levels were significantly elevated above normal. They were not significantly correlated with age, hemoglobin, body weight, or blood pressure. Fibrinogen levels generally were significantly decreased by the estrogens. Comparisons of means of pretreatment fibrinogen and plasminogen levels from patients dying during the first year of the study with the mean pretreatment levels of the patient group alive after 1 year on study yielded no significant differences. Death rates were calculated by pretreatment plasminogen or fibrinogen for all treatments of all Stage III and Stage IV patients combined for Study 2 and Study 3 separately. Such rates were calculated for all causes combined and for deaths from prostatic cancer or cardiovascular disease separately. The levels of plasminogen were significantly negatively correlated with death rate from all causes combined and with cardiovascular disease considered separately, but not with death from prostatic cancer. The levels of fibrinogen were significantly positively correlated with death rates from all causes and nearly significantly with prostatic cancer, but not cardiovascular disease. Elevated pretreatment fibrinogen levels were associated with an increased proportion of deaths at 1 year from all causes and from cancer of the prostate.