HORMONE-INDUCED ADENYLATE-CYCLASE ACTIVITY OF TUMOR-TISSUE AS AN INDEX OF COLORECTAL TUMORS HORMONOSENSITIVITY

The sensitivity of 142 human colonic tumors to the hormones of the gas trointestinal group (VIP, glucagon, pentagastrin) and of calcitonin, d ue to adenylate cyclase reaction (AC) of a tumor in vitro, was studied . No less than 40-55% of the investigated tumors preserved their hormo nosensitivity. Development of heteroresponse (reaction to calcitonin) is typical of colonic tumors while the weakening of VIP and glucagon r eaction is characteristic of rectal tumors. The definite dependence of AC response to hormones, as regards the tumor - degree of differentia tion - and the patients' sex were also demonstrated. Tumor's AC of pat ients with a 4-year survival note proved to be more sensitive to hormo ne stimulation as compared with the tumors of those patients who died during the same period of time. It can then be concluded that the eval uation of AC response in tumor tissue to hormonal stimulation is a suf ficiently adequate method of investigation of colonic tumors' hormonos ensitivity and possibly, it may be considered as a method of choice of hormone therapy of this tumor.