What changes occur in endocrine metabolism in patients with gastric cancer?

After gastric cancer occurs, the endocrine system of the body will also undergo some changes, the most obvious of which are changes in thyroid hormones, increased estrogen, and hypercortisolism, as follows:

1. Changes in thyroid hormones: T3 (triiodothyronine) and T3/γT3 (trans-triiodothyronine) ratios are reduced in gastric cancer patients, and the mechanism of increased γT3 is still unclear. After surgical resection of gastric cancer, the increased γT3 can return to normal. Therefore, the determination of γT3 value is beneficial to the observation of surgical efficacy, and the determination of T3/γT3 value can be used as a reference indicator for preoperative prediction of whether the cancer has metastasis.

2. Increased estrogen: Human chorionic gonadotropin molecules can be detected in the plasma of some gastric cancer patients, but most of them are inactive and there may be no special symptoms. However, if the level of human chorionic gonadotropin in the blood is too high, it will convert the androsterone sulfate in the blood into estrogen, thus causing gynecomastia.

3. Increased cortisol: Occasionally, there may be cases of increased cortisol in male gastric cancer patients, but less so in female patients. This syndrome may exist simultaneously with other symptoms of gastric cancer, or may appear after the onset of gastric cancer symptoms, or even 3 to 4 years before the diagnosis of gastric cancer. However, surgical resection or effective treatment of gastric cancer patients can alleviate the symptoms of increased cortisol.