Expression of Somatostatin Receptor Subtype 1–5 Genes in Human Pancreatic Cancer

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Abstract
Somatostatin inhibits not only pancreatic endocrine and exocrine secretion but also DNA synthesis in vitro(1). It is not clear whether this antiproliferative action can prove to be of benefit if somatostatin is used in therapy of exocrine pancreatic cancers. We have found that, when somatostatin receptors are present on pancreatic tumor cell lines, somatostatin analogues inhibit their proliferation both in vivo and in vitro(2,3). More information is required regarding the somatostatin receptor status of human pancreatic adenocarcinomas to determine whether somatostatin or its analogues can be applied clinically in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer.