[Influence of interferon on the toxic effect and antitumor activity of vinblastine in the combined therapy of metastatic Lewis carcinoma]

Abstract

Antitumour and antimetastatic effects of the combination of vinblastine (VLB) and L-cell interferon were examined. It is shown that mice with 3LL carcinoma are more sensitive to common toxic effect of VLB than intact animals. Interferon (IF) decreases the toxic effect of VLB in tumour-bearing mice, and thus provides a possibility to increase the total therapeutic dose of the cytostatic. The combination of VLB and IF showed a synergistic inhibitory effect on the development of carcinoma metastases and significantly increases the survival rate of the tumour-bearing mice. Neither synergistic nor additive antitumour effects of the combined therapy were observed on the primary tumour. IF suppresses the primary tumour growth more significantly when given by intratumoural injection. At the same time the inhibition of metastase development was more efficient with intraperitoneal injection of IF.