Presence of prostaglandin E in lung tumors from normocalcemic patients.

Prostaglandin E levels were determined in the tumor and normal lung tissue in 14 normocalcemic patients with lung cancer. All of the tested extracts from tumor and normal lung tissue revealed the presence of prostaglandin E; the levels were significantly higher in tumor tissue as compared with normal lung tissue. All of the tested tissue culture media from the tumors and all but one of those tested from normal lung revealed the presence of prostaglandin E; the levels were significantly higher in tumor tissue as compared with normal lung. There was no correlation between the level of prostaglandin E production and subsequent development of hypercalcemia or bone metastases or the duration of survival. The studies suggest that production of prostaglandin E by the tumors is a common phenomenon even in normocalcemic patients, and therefore its presence in the tumor tissue from a hypercalcemic patient may not necessarily implicate prostaglandin E in the pathogenesis of hypercalcemia in that patient.