Effects of gastrointestinal peptides on gastrointestinal cancer growth.

The trophic effect of gut hormones may have important clinical applications for treatment of gut and pancreatic cancers. We now have developed methods by which we can quantitate gut hormone receptors in normal and neoplastic gut mucosa and pancreas. Analysis of gut and pancreatic tumors for gut hormone receptors may thus allow us to select patients with these cancers who would respond to treatment with hormones, antihormones, or hormone ablation in a manner similar to current strategies that are employed successfully for treatment of patients with breast cancer.