Melatonin (MEL), the main hormone produced by the pineal gland, seems to exert antineoplastic activity both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, several studies reported increased melatonin blood levels in cancer patients. Plasma melatonin concentrations were determined in 46 patients with multiple myeloma and in 31 age matched healthy subjects (57.8 +/- 6.9 versus 55.2 +/- 8.9 years). Venous blood was drawn between 7.30 and 9.30 a.m. and melatonin was assayed using a commercially available radioimmunoassay. The data were analysed by Student's t test and results reported as mean values +/- standard deviation. The patients with multiple myeloma showed significantly higher mean melatonin serum levels than healthy subjects (21.6 +/- 13.5 versus 12.1 +/- 4.8 pg/ml; p < 0.001). This behaviour could actually represent a phenomenon secondary to an altered endocrine-metabolic balance caused by an increased demand of the developing tumor. On the other hand, the increased melatonin secretion might be considered as a compensatory mechanism due to its antimitotic action and therefore as an effort to secrete substances capable of regulating neoplastic growth.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Serum osteocalcin levels in postmenopausal obese women.

In epidemiology of osteoporosis, obesity is to be considered one of its protecting factors. However there are in the literature discordant opinions: some authors describe a protective effect of obesity on the trabecular bone, others on the cortical one, others no effects at all and others finally a positive influence on both the trabecular and the cortical bone. However, only few studies on obesity's impact on bone metabolism are available. Bone mineral density at forearm and serum osteocalcin levels, a specific and sensitive marker of bone turn-over, in a group of postmenopausal obese women with those of a nonobese control group were compared. Obese women showed higher densitometric measurements than nonobese, but only the values of the third distal site of forearm resulted higher in a significant way. Serum osteocalcin values were similar between the two groups but the obese women showed a greater dispersion of the values (8.15 +/- 4.96 ng/ml) compared to nonobese (8.35 +/- 1.63 ng/ml). This high variability suggests an heterogeneity of bone turn-over in obese subjects and could explain the discordant results of the literature.

Bone Density↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Weekly epidoxorubicin therapy in hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer.

In a pilot trial, we treated thirty-three hormone resistant metastatic prostate cancer patients with a combination of androgen blockade plus weekly cytotoxic therapy and determined both response and toxicity in 32 of them. Their median Karnofsky performance status at the time of entry was 65. We administered Epidoxorubicin (EpiDx) intravenously, at a dose of 35 mg/m2, every week for 4 months. Initially, all patients had only hormonal therapy and chemotherapy was added once they progressed. In terms of W.H.O. criteria, 9 patients (28%) had a partial response, the disease was stable in 14 (44%), and progressive in 9 (28%); even in this last group, 6 patients with bone metastases experienced lasting relief from pain. No patients had to interrupt treatment due to leukopenia or cardiotoxicity. Other toxicities, including nausea and vomiting, mucositis and alopecia, were mild. Pretreatment prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in 26 patients (81%) after treatment. In our view, weekly EpiDx administration serves as an active regimen in hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Adenocarcinoma↗