[Somatomedin activity in patients with malignant neoplasms]

The effect of tumor on somatomedin level in blood was investigated. This index, which is generally high in patients with primary tumors of the breast, cervix uteri, colon rectum and prostate, was found to decrease in step with tumor progression (stages II-IV). In well--differentiated adenocarcinoma of the endometrium and large bowel, it was higher than in moderately- and poorly-differentiated forms. In breast cancer patients, a relatively high blood--somatomedin level was mostly observed in solid forms, this being matched by relatively high somatomedin levels in tumor tissue. The tissue of 60% of large bowel tumors was shown to produce an inhibitor of somatomedin activity. It is suggested that there is a relationship between blood-somatomedin level in cancer patients and tumor mediated by somatomedin-like and -inhibiting factors produced by it.