[The role of neuroendocrine-immunological interrelations in the development of tumors]

There is at present an experimental evidence of neuroendocrine-immunological interactions in tumor development both in experimental models and man. In fact, different hormone receptors have been found in both experimental and spontaneous tumors in animals and man. Such tumors are therefore under the influence of the neuroendocrine system. In addition, some hormone-metabolic alterations such as those observed in advancing age are often associated with a high incidence of the neoplastic growth. Interestingly, tumor incidence increases with advancing age in both man and animals and experimental tumors are more easily transplanted in old mice than in young adult mice. On the ground of these observations it can be suggested that tumor growth results from the interactive action of both the immunological and neuroendocrine systems.