Rat mammary carcinoma regressions during suppression of serum growth hormone and prolactin.

Female rats bearing N-nitrosomethylurea-induced mammary carcinomas were treated with pergolide mesylate to suppress serum prolactin. The drug was given alone, or with somatostatin, 20 micrograms/hr delivered by osmotic minipump for 7 days to suppress serum growth hormone. Tumour regressions did not occur with pergolide alone, but did so promptly in all of 5 rats when growth hormone levels were also suppressed by somatostatin. A potent long-acting agonistic analogue of somatostatin, L362,823 produced similar tumour regressions at a dose of 5 micrograms/hr when given with pergolide, but was ineffective alone. This dose completely prevented the episodic release of pituitary growth hormone.