[Somatostatin analogs in the treatment of pancreatic cancer: utopia or  feasible alternative?].
The authors give an overview on the clinical treatment results of pancreatic carcinoma with somatostatin analogs including octreotide, lanreotide and vapreotide. Numerous preclinical studies provided solid evidence that the growth of ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma can successfully be inhibited using such synthetic analogs via direct (apoptosis-inducing) and various indirect mechanisms. In the clinical practice their role still remains contradictory. Monotherapy did not result in a prolongation of the survival, however, in 15-20% of patients the progression of the process has been halted for several months accompanied by a significant improvement of the clinical condition without notable side effects. Combination of octreotide with tamoxifen yielded a survival benefit in addition to the stabilization of the general condition, although reduction of the tumor mass has not been documented. Despite the modest results these finding reinforce the responsiveness of the pancreatic ductal cancer to the hormonal manipulations and further studies on optimization of the effects are of worth. While in the majority of cases the somatostatin receptors have been lost, hormonal control of the pancreatic cancer could be achieved by combination treatment modalities.
Zalatnai
A
A
I. Patológiai és Kísérleti Rákkutató Intézet, Semmelweis Egyetem, Budapest.
Pogány
V
V
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D015282:Octreotide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000187:drug effects; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; C060347:lanreotide; C051458:vapreotide; D013004:Somatostatin; D015282:Octreotide