title: CCK receptors and cancer.
abstract: Over the past 20 years there has been considerable interest in the role of CCK receptors in gastrointestinal cancer. Initial excitement over reports of the detection by PCR of CCK-1 and CCK-2 receptor mRNA in a wide range of gastrointestinal tumours has been tempered by the realisation that the presence of receptor binding sites is much more restricted. The current consensus is that expression of CCK-1 and -2 receptor proteins is common only in tumours of neural or neuroendocrine origin. A striking example of this general rule has been provided by the detection of CCK-2 receptors by receptor autoradiography in more than 90% of medullary thyroid carcinomas. Despite the absence of CCK receptors from many gastrointestinal adenocarcinomas, evidence from animal models and from tumour cell lines in vitro suggests that the CCK-2 receptor may contribute to the development of esophageal and gastric adenocarcinomas, and further experimental work in these areas is clearly warranted. Promising therapeutic approaches include the development of radiolabelled gastrin/CCK derivatives for use in tumour imaging, and the use of appropriate selective antagonists for treatment of those tumour subtypes likely to express CCK receptors.
authors.affiliation: University of Melbourne Department of Surgery, Austin Health, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. grahamsb@unimelb.edu.au
authors.forename: Graham S
authors.initials: GS
authors.lastname: Baldwin
authors.forename: Arthur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shulkes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011949:Receptors, Cholecystokinin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D011949:Receptors, Cholecystokinin