The study of the cytotoxic effect of anticancer drugs on human lung tumors transplanted to mice by use of diffusion chambers

Abstract

The effect of chemotherapeutic drugs (adriamycin, rubomycin, nitrosomethylurea, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, methotrexate) on the proliferative activity of cells of 19 human lung cancer (adenocarcinoma--8, squamous cell carcinoma--10 and small cell cancer--1) transplanted to mice in diffusion chambers was studied. Rubomycin and adriamycin showed highest activity while methotrexate was least effective. The cyclophosphamide, vincristine and nitrosomethylurea had the moderate and similar activity. The tumors of different histological types hade close sensitivity to the tested drugs. The 3H-thymidine incorporation inhibitory effect of drugs differed for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma probably reflecting certain differences in cellular mechanisms of drug action in lung cancers of different histological types. The data on the cytotoxic activity of anticancer drugs against lung tumors were closed to known efficacy of these drugs in treatment of patients with lung cancer. The high activity of rubomycin in human lung tumors allow to hope for its high activity in patients. The results suggested that human lung tumors in diffusion chambers may be used in preclinical tests of antitumor drug activity against lung tumors.