Abstract
The pineal indole amine melatonin has been shown to have oncostatic properties in a wide variety of neoplasms. Melatonin levels start to diminish before the onset of puberty and continue to decline during puberty. There appears to be a relationship between the rate of bone growth and the incidence of osteosarcoma (which was found to be highest in the long bones of the leg in the 10–14-year age group). It is hypothesized that the simultaneous decrease in melatonin levels (with diminishing oncostatic protection), concurrent with the exponential increase in bone growth during puberty (i.e. increased rate of cell proliferation), could be a factor in the typical age distribution of osteosarcoma. Melatonin is of value in combined chemotherapy, because it is non-toxic and can augment the anti-cancer action and decrease the side-effects of many other chemotherapeutic drugs. It is hoped that melatonin, as an adjunct to the routine chemotherapy of osteosarcoma, will help to improve the prognosis of this too often fatal disease.
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