|
|
NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY
LETTERS
including
Psychoneuroimmunology, Neuropsychopharmacology,
Reproductive Medicine, Chronobiology
and Human Ethology, ISSN 0172–780X
|
|
|
NEL
Vol.24 No.1/2, Feb-Apr 2003
ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Endocrine
effects of apomorphine in cancer
|
2003;
24:50–53
pii: NEL241203A03
PMID: 12743532
[Read
pdf 135kb]
Buy
PDF article
Check
Out
|
Psychoncology
and cancer progression-related alterations of pleasure-associated
neurochemical system: Abnormal neuroendocrine response to
apomorphine in advanced cancer patients
Paolo Lissoni, Fabio Malugani, Vittorio Manganini,
Antonio Ardizzoia, Gianstefano Gardani, Erio
Bartolacelli, Giusy Messina & Gabriele Tancini
1.
Division of Radiation Oncology, S.Gerardo Hospital, Monza,
Milan, Italy;
2. Division of Urology, S.Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Milan,
Italy;
3. Psychoncology Service, S.Gerardo Hospital, Monza, Milan,
Italy.
Submitted:
October 10, 2002 Accepted: November 11, 2002
Key
words:
puberty, serotonin, GABA, catecholamines
|
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
The clinical approach of the Psychoncology is generally limited
to the investigation of the only psychological status of cancer
patients, without taking into consideration the well demonstrated
cancer progression-related psychoneuroendocrine alterations,
namely consisting of a progressive decline in the pineal endocrine
function and an anomalous activity of brain opioid system.
The endocrine response to apomorphine, a dopaminergic agent,
has been proven to reflect the dopaminergic sensitivity, which
would be involved at least in part in pleasure-related neurochemical
mechanisms. The present study was performed to analyze the
endocrine response to apomorphine in metastatic cancer patients,
as a preliminary approach to the investigation of pleasure-related
neuroendocrine mechanisms in human neoplasms.
MATERIALS
& METHODS: The study included 10 metastatic cancer male
patients and 6 male volunteers as a control group. Apomorphine
was given orally at 0.01 mg/kg body weight in the morning,
and venous blood samples were collected before, and at 20,
60 and 120 minutes after apomorphine administration. The endocrine
analysis consisted of the measurement of serum levels of GH,
PRL and cortisol. RESULTS: All cancer patients presented alterations
involving one or more endocrine responses to apomorphine.
GH and cortisol mean levels after apomorphine were significantly
higher in controls than in cancer patients, whereas no substantial
difference occurred in those of PRL.
CONCLUSIONS:
This preliminary study, by showing an altered endocrine response
to apomorphine in metastatic cancer patients, would suggest
that cancer progression may be associated with an altered
dopaminergic sensitivity. Because of the involvement of the
dopaminergic system in pleasure-related neurochemical mechanisms,
this finding would demonstrated that the decline in the perception
of pleasure with cancer progression may depend not only on
psychological factors, but also, at least in part, on psychochemical
alterations occurring during the clinical course of the neoplastic
disease.
|
|
__________________________________________________________
Copyright © Neuroendocrinology Letters 2003
Society of Integrated Sciences
All rights reserved. No part may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or ortherwise,
without prior written permission from the Editor-in-Chief.
The
latest statistics from the www.nel.edu
|
|
|
