Salmon calcitonin in cancer pain: comparison between two different treatment schedules

The analgesic effect of salmon calcitonin (Calcitonina-Sandoz) was evaluated in an open study of thirty-four patients with bone metastases of a lung cancer. Two different administration protocols were used: eighteen subjects received sCT 400 IU/day for three consecutive days, while the remaining sixteen were given sCT 200 IU/day for six consecutive days. In both protocols salmon calcitonin was diluted in saline and infused intravenously in one hour. Bone, visceral and neuritic pain were evaluated by means of Huskisson's visual analog scale and Keele's pain scale. The analgesic efficacy of salmon calcitonin was also evaluated on the basis of daily consumption of analgesic drugs. Salmon calcitonin proved of extreme efficacy in the treatment of intractable pain from advanced malignancy. A higher and earlier analgesic activity was observed with sCT at the 400 IU daily dosage.