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SMS 201-995 treatment and advanced intestinal cancer: a pilot study
A P Savage1, J Calam, C B Wood
1Department of Medicine, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK.
Abstract:
The hypothesis that somatostatin, a compound with antitrophic effects on the gastrointestinal tract, may affect beneficially the progression of advanced intestinal cancer has been tested in a small pilot study. Ten patients, four with advanced pancreatic cancer, four with advanced colorectal cancer and two with gastric cancer, were treated with a long-acting analogue of somatostatin, SMS 201-995, 50, 100 micrograms subcutaneously twice daily. There were no clinical, radiological or biochemical indicators of a response to this treatment. There are no indications from this study that hormonal manipulation alters the rate of growth of advanced gastrointestinal cancer.
Insights
This pilot study investigated somatostatin's effect on advanced gastrointestinal cancers. Results showed no evidence that hormonal manipulation with somatostatin analogues impacts cancer growth rates.
Area of Science:
- Gastroenterology
- Oncology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Somatostatin, a peptide hormone, exhibits antitrophic effects on the gastrointestinal tract.
- Investigating somatostatin's potential role in managing advanced gastrointestinal cancers, including pancreatic, colorectal, and gastric cancer.
Observation:
- A pilot study involved ten patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers.
- Patients received a long-acting somatostatin analogue (SMS 201-995) subcutaneously twice daily.
- Treatment dosages varied between 50 and 100 micrograms.
Findings:
- No clinical, radiological, or biochemical indicators of treatment response were observed.
- The study found no evidence that hormonal manipulation with somatostatin affects the growth rate of advanced gastrointestinal cancers.
Implications:
- This study suggests that somatostatin analogues may not be effective in altering the progression of advanced gastrointestinal malignancies.
- Further research with larger cohorts may be warranted to definitively establish the role, if any, of somatostatin in gastrointestinal cancer therapy.