Larynx cancer and prostaglandins

Larynx cancer and prostaglandins

Am J Otolaryngol 11:81-84, 1990 Larynx Cancer and Prostaglandins Z~YA CENIK, MD, AYSE CENIK, AND YAVUZ UYAR, MD Prostaglandin levels in serum, tumo...

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Am J Otolaryngol 11:81-84,

1990

Larynx Cancer and Prostaglandins Z~YA CENIK, MD, AYSE CENIK, AND YAVUZ UYAR, MD

Prostaglandin levels in serum, tumor specimens, and normal larynx mucosa were measured before and after laryngectomy in 43 patients with larynx cancer. Related findings described elsewhere in the literature are discussed. AM J OTOLARYNGOL 11:81-84. 01990 by W.B. Saunders Company. Key words: larynx cancer, laryngeal mucosa, prostaglandin levels.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The etiology of larynx cancer, despite its importance among malignant tumors of head and neck origin, has yet to be clarified. The action of some carcinogenic factors is accepted. The most important of these are smoking, alcohol, and chronic irritation. Larynx cancer occurs predominately in males, suggesting the possibility of a normal effect in its causation. Until now, a normal contribution to the etiology of larynx cancer has not been demonstrated. Prostaglandins (PGs) are accepted as local tissue hormones and known to have different physiologic effects. High prostaglandin levels have been measured in malignant tumors of different systems, and their study has caused new concepts to arise concerning cancer etiopathogenesis.l-I4 As tumor growth progressed, it was understood that PGs were synthesized more than normal due to changing tissue biochemistry, so that they were thought to act as a cocarcinogen in the development of malignant tumors.‘5S17 Studies investigating the levels of PGs in the malignant tumors of different systems in human beings have been reported. However, we could find no studies concerning the relationship between larynx cancer and PGs in our review of the literature. Therefore, we undertook, in this study, to measure the levels of PG in sera, tumor tissues and normal larynx mucosa before and after laryngectomy in larynx cancer patients receiving no prior treatment.

Forty-three patients with complaints of hoarseness, air obstruction, and the sensation of obstruction when swallowing were diagnosed as having larynx cancer by laryngoscopic and histopathologic examination, and were entered into our study. Prior to laryngectomy, all patients underwent blood, urea, electrocardiographic, chest x-ray and tests to rule out systemic disorders. All 43 patients were male and all smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day for a long period. The youngest patient was 38 years of age; the oldest was 72. The range of the age is shown in Table 1. Tumor location and stage are shown in Tables 2 through 4. Before laryngectomy, a 4-mL venous blood sample was taken from each patient in a sterile tube with heparm. To determine PG level, the plasma of the samples was separated and kept in closed tubes at -20%. On the 10th day after laryngectomy, 4mL venous blood samples were again taken and processed as before. Twenty subjects without inflammation or tumors comprised the control group. Peripheral venous samples were drawn from the control group, and PG levels evaluated. A bioassay method was used to measure PGs in tissue extractions and plasma samples. Since the mause gastric fundal muscle used in such as; PGE, PGF; the re-

sults obtained were called PG-like activity (PGBA). Student’s t test was applied in the statistical evaluation of the findings. Extraction and bioassay measurements were taken in the Pharmacology and Toxicology Institute of the Medical Faculty of Hacettepe University.

RESULTS The maximum level of serum PGBA obtained in the 43 patients with larynx cancer before laryngectomy was 126 ng/mL; the minimum level was 18 ng/mL, and the approximate serum level was 57. 6 + 4.0 ng/mL. After the operation, a reduction was observed in serum PGBA value. On the 16th postoperative day, the level of serum PGBA was 37.0 ? 4.0 ng/ mL. In the 20 subjects forming our control group, the maximum serum PGBA was 2 ng/mL. The ap-

Received June 1, 1989, from the Departments of Otolaryngology and Pharmacologv, School of Medicine. Ankara and fiacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey. Accepted for publication July 28, 1989. Address reprint requests to Ziya Cenik, MD, Seyh Sadrettin Mahallesi Turgutoglu Sokak, Dural Apartmani no. 1315 Konya, Turkey. 0 1990 by W.B. Saunders Company. 0196-0709/90/1102-0005$5.00/O

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82

LARYNX CANCER AND PROSTAGLANDINS

TABLE 3. Glottic Cancers According to TNM System

TABLE 1. Age Distribution of the Patients

GLOTTIC STAGE

NO.OF~ATIENTS

AGE O-10

11-20 21-30 31-40 41-50 51-60 61-70 71-80

2 9 21 10 1

Total

43

Tl T, T, T,

DISCUSSION It has been proven that PGs are present in all tissues.” They exert a regulatory effect on various systems such as the urinary, cardiovascular, and especially the reproductive system.*-3,5-7,15*18,1g It is understood that PGs have effects other than those related to tumor growth.20*24Their effects on the proliferation of malignant cells and on tumor progress have been the most important areas of study. Prostaglandins were first detected in human malignant tumors in thyroid cancer by Williams et al in 1968.25 Bennet and colleagues26-28 reported that PG levels in tumor tissue were higher than in normal tissues and that PGs played a role in tumor progression. The levels of PGs in human tumor have been investigated by a number of investigators.

TI T, T, T*

Total

2 -

N, 3 5 4 -

N, 3 5 1

N,

N,

TOTAL

2 1

1 2 1 -

3 3 -

1

3 6 4 -

-

N, 2 1

14

Most of these studies concern thyroid, breast, and genital cancers.5**1*2g*30 Recently, increased levels of PG, especially of PGE,, have been reported in the tumor tissues of patients with head and neck carcinoma.31p32 Panje, 33 Balch et a1,34 Hirch et a1.35 suggested that PGE, may play a role in the inhibition of cellmediated immunity in head and neck cancer patients. In the 43 larynx cancer patients we examined, the level of PGBA was approximately 417.1 + 33.8rig/g..The average level of PGBA in the same patients was 153.8 rig/gin normal larynx mucosa samples. The difference between these levels is statistically significant (P < .OOl), and it shows that the level of PGs is high in larynx cancers, as it is in other malignant tumors (Fig 2). In our study, we tried to determine whether a relationship exists between the levels of PGBA and the histologic differentiation of the tumor. In three patients with undifferentiated squamous cell cancer, the level of PGBA was 240.7 + 43.4 ngi’g; in five cases with well-differentiated squamous cell cancer, the level of PGBA was 432.2 2 44.8 rig/g..The difference between these levels was statistically significant (P < ,001). It therefore appears that tumor differentiation effects the levels of PGBA (Fig 3). When we compared the level of serum PGBA before surgery in larynx cancer patients (57.6 + 4 ng/mL) with that of the control group (20.5 + 3.2 ng/mL), the difference between them was significant (P < .OOl). The level of PGBA is increased in the serum of patients with larynx cancer. We observed that in 43 patients with larynx cancer, the level of serum PGBA (57.6 + 4 ng/mL) was reduced to 37 f 4 ng/mL on the 10th day

TABLE 2. Supraglottic Cancers According to TNMSystem N,

NI

Total

proximate value of serum PGBA was 20.5 * 3.2 ng/mL. When we compared the approximate level of PGBA (20.5 + 3.2 ng/mL) obtained for the control group with the approximate level of PGBA (57.6 + 4.0 ng/mL) obtained for patients with larynx cancer before the operation, the difference was significant (P < .OOl) (Fig 1). In 43 patients with larynx cancer, the levels of PGBA in tumor specimens ranged from 90 rip/gto 987 rig/g..The approximate level of PGBA was 417.1 k 33.8rig/g..The level of PGBA obtained from samples of normal larynx mucosa was approximately 153.8 + 15.3 rig/g(Fig 2).

SUPRAGLOTTIC STAGE

N,

TABLE 4.

TOTAL

SUBGLOTTIC STAGE

5 8 11 2

Tl

26

Total

T, T, T,

Subglottic Cancers According TNM System N,

N,

-

l-

-

-

N, 2 -

to

N,

TOTAL

-

1 2 -

-

3

a3

CENIKETAL

500

60

100

300

200 -.

E -

I__ ’ -- -

Preop

Control

100

Figure 1. Serum PGBA levels for 20 controls and in patients with larynx carcinoma before and after laryngectomy.

after laryngecomy [Fig 1).The difference between the levels of PGBA preoperatively and postoperatively is statistically significant (P < .OOl). When it became known that PGs accelerated tumor growth and that the levels of PGs were high in human malignant tumors, drugs such as aspirin and indomethacine, shown to be PG synthesis inhibitors in vivo, were considered possible therapeutic agents3”-*’ Some studies show that when PG synthesis inhibitors are used, the growth of tumors can be

500

LOO

--I

3oc Q c” 200 2 : 100

Jmor Figure 2. specimens



Normal

PGBA levels in tumor tissue and normal mucosal from patients with larynx carcinoma.

I

.-

-

Fostop

-I

lndlf fcrmtia Figure 3. PGBA levels related to the histologic differentiation of larynx carcinoma.

G&tia according

to

slowed, achieving positive results.36,37 But, to be successful in this regard, we should first know the amount and type of PG present in all human malignant tumors. References 1. Barner HB, Kaiser GC, Jellinek M, et al: Effect of Prostaglandin A on several vascular beds in man. Am Heart J 1973; 85:584-592. 2. Bedwani JR: Biological roles of the prostaglandins. Pharmaceut J 1974; 26:71-74 3. Behrman HR, Rahway NJ, Anderson GG: Prostaglandins in reproduction. Arch Intern Med 1974; 133:77-84 4. Karmali AR: Review: Prostaglandins and cancer prostaglandins. Medicine 1980; 5:11-28 5. Lee H, Sanders RR, Jones WR: Prostaglandin F, and tumors of the female genitalia. Br Med J 1978; 2:434-437 6. Moncada S, Flower RJ, Vane JR: Prostaglandins, Prostacycline and tromboxane A,, in Goodman, Gilman (eds): The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics. ed 7. New York, NY, Macmillan, 1985, pp 660-673 7. Wolfe GLG, Coceani F: The role of prostaglandins in the central nervous system. Annu Rev Physiol 1939; 41:669-671 8. Bhana P, Hillier K, I&rim SMM: Vasoactive substances in Kaposis Sarcoma. Cancer 1977; 27:233-235 9. Humes JL, Cupo JJ, Strausse HR: Effects of indomethacine on Maloney Sarcoma virus induced tumors. Prostaglandins 1974; 6:463-473 10. Leaper DJ, French BT, Bennet A: Breast cancer and prostaglandins. A New approach to treatment. Br J Surg 1976; 66:683-686 11. Mortel R, Allegra JC, Demers LM, et al: Plasma prostaglandins across the tumor bed of patients with gynecologic malignancy. Cancer 1977; 39:2201-2203 12. Tan WC, Privett OS, Goldyne ME: Studies of prostaglandins in rat mammary tumors induced by 7,12 dimethyl benzanthracene. Cancer Res 1974; 34:3229-323X 13. Tashjian AH, Voekel LF, Goldhaber et al: Successful treatment of hypercalcemia by indomethacine in mice bearing

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a prostaglandin 3:515-524 14. Tashjien

LARYNX CANCER AND PROSTAGLANDINS producing

fibrosarcoma.

Prostaglandins

1973;

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