[Somatostatin analogs in oncology]

Somatostatin octapeptide analogues have a longer half-life and are more potent than natural somatostatin (SS-14). Somatostatin analogues are presently approved for the treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) endocrine cancers such as carcinoids, vipomas and glucagonomas. They are also effective in the treatment of inoperable or relapsing acromegaly. Although symptomatic relief is marked and rapidly induced, the inhibitory effect on tumor growth is modest. However, prolonged stabilizations are frequent. Somatostatin analogues may have wider therapeutic indications. Somatostatin octapeptide analogues are also known to interact with growth factors such as epidermal growth factor and insulin-like growth factor, and have shown cytostatic activity in vitro and in vivo in various experimental models of breast, prostate, lung and GI cancers. Neuroendocrine tumors often express somatostatin receptors. Labelled analogues may be useful for tumor assessment and for the prediction of tumor response to therapy. The role of somatostatin analogues in the treatment of the most frequent cancers is currently under investigation.