HORMONE-INDUCED ADENYLATE-CYCLASE ACTIVITY OF TUMOR-TISSUE AS AN INDEX OF COLORECTAL TUMORS HORMONOSENSITIVITY

The sensitivity of 142 human colonic tumors to the hormones of the gastrointestinal group (VIP, glucagon, pentagastrin) and of calcitonin, due to adenylate cyclase reaction (AC) of a tumor in vitro, was studied. No less than 40-55% of the investigated tumors preserved their hormonosensitivity. Development of heteroresponse (reaction to calcitonin) is typical of colonic tumors while the weakening of VIP and glucagon reaction is characteristic of rectal tumors. The definite dependence of AC response to hormones, as regards the tumor - degree of differentiation - and the patients' sex were also demonstrated. Tumor's AC of patients with a 4-year survival note proved to be more sensitive to hormone stimulation as compared with the tumors of those patients who died during the same period of time. It can then be concluded that the evaluation of AC response in tumor tissue to hormonal stimulation is a sufficiently adequate method of investigation of colonic tumors' hormonosensitivity and possibly, it may be considered as a method of choice of hormone therapy of this tumor.