Nephrotoxic and cytoproliferative effects of streptozotocin. Report of a patient with multiple hormone‐secreting islet cell carcinoma

• Published in: Cancer 1976-10, Vol.38 (4), p.1550-1555
• Main Authors: Myerowitz, Richard L., Sartiano, George P., Cavallo, Tito
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenoma, Islet Cell - drug therapy; Adenoma, Islet Cell - metabolism; Adenoma, Islet Cell - pathology; Calcitonin - metabolism; Cell Division - drug effects; Female; Humans; Hypoglycemia - etiology; Insulin - metabolism; Insulin Secretion; Middle Aged; Pancreatic Neoplasms - drug therapy; Pancreatic Neoplasms - metabolism; Pancreatic Neoplasms - pathology; Paraneoplastic Endocrine Syndromes - drug therapy; Parathyroid Hormone - metabolism; Streptozocin - adverse effects; Streptozocin - therapeutic use; Uremia - chemically induced; Uremia - pathology
• ISSN: 0008-543X; 1097-0142
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-0142(197610)38:4<1550::AID-CNCR2820380417>3.0.CO;2-T

The nephrotoxic and cytoproliferative side effects observed in a patient with Streptozotocin‐treated, multiple hormone‐secreting, pancreatic islet cell carcinoma are described. Streptozotocin induced prolonged partial remission of the patient's multiendocrine syndrome but resulted in progressive azotemia, which was controlled by temporary hemodialysis. A renal biopsy, the first to be reported in detail in such a condition, demonstrated a tubulo‐interstitial nephritis and a glomerular alteration consisting of cellular nodules. At autopsy there were numerous bilateral renal cortical spindle cell “tumors” and cellular aggregates in glomeruli. These findings suggest that the tumorigenic effects of Streptozotocin demonstrated in animals may also occur in man.