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Peptide hormones in patients with acute leukaemia
Author(s) -
PFLÜGER K.H.,
KÖPPLER H.,
JAQUES G.,
HAVEMANN K.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1988.tb02405.x
Subject(s) - hormone , calcitonin , peptide hormone , medicine , endocrinology , peptide , prohormone , buffy coat , calcitonin gene related peptide , reticulocyte , biology , immunology , neuropeptide , gene , receptor , biochemistry , messenger rna
. Paraneoplastic production and secretion of peptide hormones by numerous malignant tumours is a well‐known phenomenon. The incidence of the production of six peptide hormones was evaluated in patients with acute leukaemia. Most often the calcitonin gene‐related peptides were found to be elevated in sera at the time of diagnosis. The values evaluated for the hormones were: h‐CT 46·7%, CGRP 51%, s‐CT 20·7%, PTH 15·7%, β‐HCG 15%, and ACTH 11·6%. A significant coincidence of two or more hormones was not observed. In 83·4% of the patients increased concentrations of at least one of the six hormones were found. Clinical and biochemical parameters showed no influence on the serum levels of these peptides. Analysis of elevated hormone serum levels in subtypes of leukaemia revealed that the calcitonin‐related hormones were significantly correlated to more immature forms of leukaemia such as AUL and M1. Synthesis of calcitonin gene‐related peptides was also seen in established leukaemic cell lines and in buffy coat cells of untreated patients with acute leukaemia. This investigation provides further evidence that peptide hormone production in leukaemic blasts is a common finding. These results further suggest hormone production to be a universal concommitant of neoplasia. A possible influence of these peptide hormones on the biological behaviour of the malignant cells is discussed.