POTENTIAL USE OF ANALOGS OF LUTEINIZING-HORMONE-RELEASING HORMONES IN THE TREATMENT OF HORMONE-SENSITIVE NEOPLASMS

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  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 68  (1) , 281-289
Abstract
New approaches to the therapy for some endocrine-dependent tumors with analogs of hypothalamic hormones are being developed on the basis of experimental studies in animal models. Analogs of LHRH may open new vistas for the treatment of some hormone-dependent carcinomas. Both agonistic and antagonistic analogs of LHRH can inhibit the growth of rat prostate tumors. A successful treatment of androgen-dependent prostate cancer with agonistic analogs of D-Trp6-LHRH, D-Ser(But)6des-Gly-NH210-LHRH ethylamide and D-Leu6-des-Gly-NH210-LHRH ethylamide was documented in several hundred patients. LHRH agonists probably can be used as an effective endocrine therapy for prostate carcinoma, thereby avoiding the side effects of estrogen and the psychologic impact of castration. Experimental animal studies and some clinical trials suggest that LHRH agonists and/or antagonists might also be be useful in the treatment of breast cancer. The results of experiments with various hypothalamic analogs in animal models of chondrosarcomas, osteosarcomas and other tumors appear to be encouraging, but the potential clinical efficacy of LHRH analogs in the treatment of human hormone-sensitive cancers other than breast and prostate remains to be investigated. The approach to treatment of hormone-dependent tumors based on analogs of hypothalamic hormones might become a useful addition to conventional methods for cancer therapy.