Somatostatin receptor subtypes 2 and 5 are associated with better survival in well-differentiated endocrine carcinomas.
The majority of gastroenteropancreatic well-differentiated endocrine carcinomas (WDEC) express somatostatin receptors (SSTR). To correlate the expression of SSTR subtypes by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with clinicopathological features and survival in a group of WDEC patients, 42 WDEC tissue specimens from 33 patients were analysed. All patients were treated with somatostatin analogues and had a median follow-up period of 45 months (range 6-196). Neither SSTR2 and SSTR5 expression nor Ki-67 level alone correlated with survival. A significantly better survival rate was observed in patients with tumours expressing SSTR2, SSTR5 and Ki-67 <2%, compared to those with SSTR2- and SSTR5-negative tumours and Ki-67 >or=2% (p < 0.038), with 5-year survival rates of 91 vs. 43%, respectively. Expression of SSTR2 and SSTR5 appears to play a positive prognostic role, possibly correlated with the high affinity that the available somatostatin analogues display for these 2 specific SSTR subtypes.
Corleto
Vito D
VD
Department of Digestive and Liver Disease, II School of Medicine, University La Sapienza, Roma, Italy. vito.corleto@uniroma1.it
Falconi
Massimo
M
Panzuto
Francesco
F
Milione
Massimo
M
De Luca
Ottavia
O
Perri
Pasquale
P
Cannizzaro
Renato
R
Bordi
Cesare
C
Pederzoli
Paolo
P
Scarpa
Aldo
A
Delle Fave
Gianfranco
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004701:Endocrine Gland Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000401:mortality*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin / Q000378:metabolism*
D017481:Receptors, Somatostatin; C094573:somatostatin receptor 5; C093733:somatostatin receptor 2