ANALGESIC EFFECTS OF PORCINE CALCITONIN IN PATIENTS WITH METASTATIC BONE LESIONS OF PROSTATIC CANCER

It has been recently reported that calcitonin is effective in the treatment of bone metabolic disorder, especially in a1leviating bone pains. We studied analgesic effects of porcine calcitonin (PCT) in patients with metastatic bone lesions of prostatic cancer and obtained the following results. PCT was administered to six patients, and found to be considerably effective in all patients; complete relief of pain was obtained in four patients and marked improvement in two patients. In-patients received 80I.U. of PCT twice a day intramuscularly, and out-patients 160I.U. once a day. Analgesic effect was found to be more evident in the group of in-patients than out-patients. One patient complained nausea and vomiting during PCT administration, but those symptoms were alleviated and diminished by the reduction of PCT dosis. No side effects of PCT were found in blood counts and serum biochemical examination. The analgesic mechanism of PCT is not clear at present. Further studies are expected to elucidate it