[Use of BCG as an immunoadjuvant in combination with antitumor agents in virus-induced leukemia]

Abstract

The effect of administration of BCG in association with chemotherapy in histocompatible CD2F1 mice challenged ip with Moloney-virus-induced lymphoma LSTRA of Balb/c origin was studied. All untreated mice died with comparable median survival time (MST). Immunochemotherapy experiments were performed in histocompatible mice using BCG according to various treatment schedules with respect to tumor challenge and 3 nitrosureas of clinical interest (i.e. BCNU, MeCCNU and CCNU) administration. If recipients were subjected to ip treatment with drugs alone or in association with the non specific immunoadjuvant (IA) given after tumor challenge (on day +1); no significant antitumor effect was detected. Synergistic antitumor effects were evidenced when the antineoplastic agents were associated with IA administered on the "-14+1" regimen with respect to the tumor. The results pointed out that the antilymphoma effects of chemotherapy could be amplified by IA only when the treatment schedule included adjuvants administration prior to tumor challenge.