title: Twice-weekly intravenous treatment of pancreatic cancer with atrial natriuretic peptide and vessel dilator.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and vessel dilator eliminate 80% and 33% of human pancreatic adenocarcinomas growing in athymic mice when given subcutaneously for 28 days via osmotic pumps.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine if similar beneficial effects can be obtained by ANP and vessel dilator on a bi-weekly basis, bolus infusion via vascular ports bi-weekly for 4 weeks was given to athymic mice bearing human pancreatic adenocarcinomas.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Vessel dilator and ANP (each at 100 microM) (n=6 for each) resulted in a 33% (p<0.01) and 17% (p<0.05) elimination of human pancreatic adenocarcinomas, respectively, while the tumor volume increased 64-fold (p<0.001) in the placebo-treated mice (n=12). During the 4 weeks of treatment, the growth velocity decreased 92% and 68% with vessel dilator and ANP, respectively, compared to untreated mice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biweekly vessel dilator and ANP both eliminate some human pancreatic adenocarcinomas in athymic mice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Cardiac Hormone Center, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenz
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Ehrentraud J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Eichelbaum
authors.forename: William P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Skelton
authors.forename: Guillermo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pi
authors.forename: David L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Vesely
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D007260:Infusion Pumps; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D023041:Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009320:Atrial Natriuretic Factor