title: Gastrointestinal hormones as potential adjuvant treatment of exocrine pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
abstract: CONCLUSIONS
  Gastrointestinal hormones and their antagonists can alter the growth of pancreatic adenocarcinoma in vitro and in vivo. The potential clinical benefit of this approach deserves further study.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Epithelial cell growth is normally under hormonal control. Hormones also affect the growth of many epithelial cancers, and this fact is used to modify tumor growth. Pancreatic epithelial cell growth is under the influence of gastrointestinal hormones. This article reviews experiments designed to determine the effect of gastrointestinal hormones on the growth of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty-eight articles were identified from a Medline search using the terms pancreatic adenocarcinoma and the individual names of gastrointestinal hormones. The experimental design and results of these studies are reviewed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In general, somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, pancreatic polypeptide, and pancreastatin inhibit pancreatic adenocarcinoma growth. Cholecystokinin, secretin, bombesin, gastrin, EGF, TGF-alpha, insulin, and IGF-1 have a growth-promoting effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: W E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muscarella
authors.forename: L G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Boros
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Schirmer
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006131:Growth Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones; D006131:Growth Inhibitors