Effect of CCK receptor antagonist on growth of pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Cholecystokinin (CCK) exerts an influential effect on the growth of normal pancreas. It is postulated that carcinoma arising from the pancreas may retain some normal pancreatic properties as far as hormone dependency is concerned. In an effort to examine the effect of CCK on the growth of pancreatic cancer, we evaluated the effect of CCK receptor antagonist on the growth of a transplantable adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. For this study we utilized three groups of hamsters with adenocarcinoma of the pancreas transplanted subcutaneously on the right flank. Group I (n = 15) served as control. Group II (n = 15) received CCK receptor antagonist (L-364,718), 0.1 mg/100 g body wt subcutaneously BID. Group III received CCK receptor antagonist in the same dose but treatment was started after tumors became palpable. All animals were examined daily. Latency for tumor growth, tumor size, and body weight were recorded. Animals were sacrificed after 3 weeks and final tumor volume and weight were measured. CCK receptor antagonist (L-364,718) significantly reduced pancreatic carcinoma growth when given immediately after transplantation and also in animals with established tumor. However, this inhibitory effect of L-364,718 was only partial and effective only for a brief time. This finding suggests CCK may have only a minimal influence on the biologic behavior of exocrine pancreatic cancer.