The pineal indole amine melatonin has been shown to have oncostatic pr
operties in a wide variety of neoplasms. Melatonin levels start to dim
inish before the onset of puberty and continue to decline during puber
ty. There appears to be a relationship between the rate of bone growth
and the incidence of osteosarcoma (which was found to be highest in t
he long bones of the leg in the 10-14-year age group). It is hypothesi
zed that the simultaneous decrease in melatonin levels (with diminishi
ng oncostatic protection), concurrent with the exponential increase In
bone growth during puberty (i.e. increased rate of cell proliferation
), could be a factor in the typical age distribution of osteosarcoma.
Melatonin is of value in combined chemotherapy, because it is non-toxi
c and can augment the anti-cancer action and decrease the side-effects
of many other chemotherapeutic drugs. It is hoped that melatonin, as
an adjunct to the routine chemotherapy of osteosarcoma, will help to i
mprove the prognosis of this too often fatal disease.