ABSTRACT
Objective To observe the curative effects of octreotide on gastrointestinal cancer and its influenee on the serum level of IGF-1.Methods 33 patients diagnosed as advanced gastrointestinal cancer were randomized into 2 groups.15 cases in therapy group received octreotide 400μg/d subcutaneous injection or intravenous injection,other patients were taken as control.Curative effects of octreotide and serum level of IGF-1 on different time were observed before and after therapy.Results 4 cases in therapy group kept stable condition during treatment,all 18 cases in control group deteriorated gradually.The median survival time of octreotide therapy was 6.9 months,longer than that of control group(2.3 months)(P＜0.05),the feeling of well being in therapy group was reported a remarkable improvement.Serum level of IGF-1 decreased obviously after octreotide injection(P＜0.05),but no significant difference in control group.Conclusion Octreotide can prolong the survival duration and improve living quality of patients with advanced gastrointestinal tumors.The mechanism of antitumor is probably through suppression of IGF-1.