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To assess the appropriateness of a single measurement of urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6S) as a marker for long-term exposure to endogenous melatonin in epidemiological studies, we examined the reproducibility of aMT6S in first morning urine voids collected from 40 postmenopausal women. Urine specimens were collected on three different occasions, and the mean time between the first and the third urine sample was 5.1 years. Urinary aMT6S levels were measured by radioimmunoassay and adjusted for creatinine. The intraclass correlation for aMT6S adjusted for creatinine was 0.56 (95% confidence interval, 0.39-0.73). The classification of aMT6S concentrations in first morning voids from postmenopausal women appears to be sufficiently reproducible to justify its use as a marker for long-term exposure to melatonin in epidemiological studies.

Type

Journal article

Journal

Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology

Publication Date

08/2003

Volume

12

Pages

806 - 808

Addresses

Cancer Research UK, Epidemiology Unit, University of Oxford, Oxford OX2 6HE, United Kingdom. ruth.travis@cancer.org.uk

Keywords

Humans, Melatonin, Biological Markers, Radioimmunoassay, Reproducibility of Results, Postmenopause, Middle Aged, Female