Trial reportPloS one2013
Individual variations in serum melatonin levels through time: implications for epidemiologic studies.
Trial report in PloS one, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 38 citations in OpenAlex.
- Plasma Melatonin Levels, Seasonal Variation, and Sleep Quality: A Stratified Analysis of Adults Aged 25-65 Years Using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Actigraphy.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- The integrative role of melatonin in psychiatric disorders: A systematic review of evidence from circadian biology, lifestyle medicine, and psychoneuroimmunology.BioMedicine · 2025Review
- Intense solar activity reduces urinary 6-sulfatoxymelatonin in patients with COPD.Respiratory research · 2023Article
- Improvement of several stress response and sleep quality hormones in men and women after sleeping in a bed that protects against electromagnetic fields.Environmental health : a global access science source · 2022Article
- Protective role of melatonin in breast cancer: what we can learn from women with blindness.Cancer causes & control : CCC · 2022Review
- Salivary melatonin in oral squamous cell carcinoma patients.Scientific reports · 2021Article
- In Reply: Trough Melatonin Levels Have No Physiological or Clinical Relevance.Clinical psychopharmacology and neuroscience : the official scientific journal of the Korean College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2021Article
- Melatonin in Cancer Treatment: Current Knowledge and Future Opportunities.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Role and Therapeutic Potential of Melatonin in Various Type of Cancers.OncoTargets and therapy · 2021Review
- Quality of life for older patients with cancer: a review of the evidence supporting melatonin use.Aging clinical and experimental research · 2020Review
- Therapeutic Algorithm for Use of Melatonin in Patients With COVID-19.Frontiers in medicine · 2020Review
- Melatonin is a potential inhibitor of ovarian cancer: molecular aspects.Journal of ovarian research · 2019Review
- Awakening effects of blue-enriched morning light exposure on university students' physiological and subjective responses.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Morning Plasma Melatonin Differences in Autism: Beyond the Impact of Pineal Gland Volume.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2019Article
- Measuring serum melatonin in postmenopausal women: Implications for epidemiologic studies and breast cancer studies.PloS one · 2018Article
- The reduction in circulating levels of melatonin may be associated with the development of preeclampsia.Journal of human hypertension · 2016Article
- Do we need to know more about the effects of hormones on lower urinary tract dysfunction? ICI-RS 2014.Neurourology and urodynamics · 2016Review
- The Reduction in Circulating Melatonin Level May Contribute to the Pathogenesis of Ovarian Cancer: A Retrospective Study.Journal of Cancer · 2016Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Melatonin, a marker for the circadian rhythm with serum levels peaking between 2AM and 5AM, is hypothesized to possess anti-cancer properties, making it a mechanistic candidate for the probable carcinogenic effect of circadian rhythm disruption. In order to weigh epidemiologic evidence on the association of melatonin with cancer, we must first understand the laboratory and biological sources of variability in melatonin levels measured in samples. Participants for this methodological study were men enrolled in the Prostate Lung Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial (PLCO). We measured serum melatonin levels over a five year period in 97 individuals to test if melatonin levels are steady over time. The Pearson correlation coefficient between two measures separated by 1 year was 0.87, while the correlation between two measures separated by 5 years was to 0.70. In an additional cross-sectional study of 292 individuals, we used Analysis of Variance to identify differences in melatonin levels between different lifestyle and environmental characteristics. Serum melatonin levels were slightly higher in samples collected from 130 individuals during the winter, (6.36±0.59 pg/ml) than in samples collected from 119 individuals during the summer (4.83±0.62 pg/ml). Serum melatonin levels were lowest in current smokers (3.02±1.25 pg/ml, p = 0.007) compared to never (6.66±0.66 pg/ml) and former (5.59±0.50 pg/ml) smokers whereas BMI did not significantly affect serum melatonin levels in this study. In conclusion, the high 5 year correlation of melatonin levels implies that single measurements may be used to detect population level associations between melatonin and risk of cancer. Furthermore, our results reiterate the need to record season of sample collection, and individual characteristics in order to maximize study power and prevent confounding.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.