Analytical Challenges and Potential Applications of Sex Steroid Hormone Analysis in Breast and Prostate Cancer Patients

Advances in quantitative mass spectrometry technology have paved the way for routine use in clinical laboratories. One application is steroid analysis for investigation of gonadal and adrenal diseases. In oncology, routine use of steroid analysis is primarily restricted to testosterone analysis for addressing the castration level in androgen deprivation therapy and estradiol measurement to support determination of menopausal status. The increasing analytical performance of liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS)-based quantitative steroid analysis, opens opportunities for investigating new clinical applications. One of these is monitoring hormonal therapy in breast and prostate cancer patients. Several (pre-)analytical issues should be addressed when developing LC–MS-based steroid assays for these purposes. Assays that comprise multiple steroids provide an interesting approach to efficiently investigate a large variety of potential candidates.