[Cyclic nucleotide concentration changes in different tumors and therapeutic success through increasing the cAMP level].

Changes in the concentration of cyclic AMP as well as cyclic GMP were measured in different murine tumors and in human tumors of varying malignancy. The quotient of cAMP and cGMP seems to be an important parameter for the molecular-biological derangement. Because of the recently much discussed importance of cAMP and cGMP in the immune defence the changes in the concentration of both nucleotides were measured in the T-lymphocytes of tumor patients. Significant changes occurred in patients with malignant melanoma. Investigations of the stimulatibility of the cAMP and cGMP levels revealed a diminished activatibility of the cAMP level and a higher stimulatibility of the cGMP level in the T-lymphocytes of patients with malignant melanoma as compared with those of the controls. On the basis of the working hypothesis that there is a causal relationship between the deranged dualism of cAMP and cGMP in the T-lymphocytes and the failure of the immunological tumor cell defence, an increase in the cAMP level is offered as a possible therapy. Therapeutic results in tumor-bearing mice and first results in melanoma patients are discussed.