Sammanfattning
Exogenous and endogenous opiate alkaloids, such as morphine, have been implicated in a wide variety of pharmacological and physiological functions. In addition to their use in the treatment of pain, opioids are involved in the growth re-gulation of both normal and neoplastic tissue. This review focuses on the influence of endogenous and exogenous morphine on tumour growth, with emphasis on immunoregulatory, proliferative and antiproliferative mechanisms.