Peptide hormone influence on exocrine pancreatic cancer.

At the present time there is only scant knowledge about the action of peptide hormones on pancreatic cancer--less than that of the sex hormones. However, the knowledge is rapidly expanding, and this research field contains many potentially very interesting effects and interactions. It seems possible that at least adjuvant effects of the peptide hormones can be expected to have a part to play in treatment of exocrine pancreatic cancer in the future. It is also of great theoretical interest to note that this 'target organ' for peptide hormones and 'non-target organ' for sex hormones may be influenced by peptide hormones as well as sex hormones. The presence of hormonal receptors and hormonal-binding proteins and their role in tumor genesis are not fully understood, but the discovery of cancer specific hormone-binding proteins in pancreatic cancer might be used in the detection and treatment of this cancer in the future.