Cholecystokinin and gastrointestinal cancer

The gut hormone cholecystokinin exerts various actions on the gastrointestinal tract, including the regulation of growth. The hormone has been reported to induce hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the pancreas and to enhance chemically-induced pancreatic carcinogenesis in animals. Stimulation of endogenous cholecystokinin secretion through the induction of deficiency of intraintestinal proteases and bile salts by trypsin-inhibiting nutrients, bile salt-binding drugs or surgical intervention is also capable of stimulating growth and tumour development in the rat. In man, factors suggested to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, such as a high-fat and high-protein diet or gastrectomy, are known to stimulate plasma cholecystokinin secretion. Receptors for cholecystokinin have been demonstrated on human pancreatic adenocarcinomas, and cholecystokinin has been demonstrated to enhance the growth of xenografted pancreatic cancer and to inhibit growth of gastric and bile duct cancer. The recently developed cholecystokinin-receptor antagonists inhibit not only pancreatic growth but also pancreatic carcinogenesis in animals. These new drugs may be valuable new tools for inhibiting pancreatic cancer growth in humans.