ELECTROCHEMOTHERAPY WITH CDDP ON LPB SARCOMA - COMPARISON OF THE ANTITUMOR EFFECTIVENESS IN IMMUNOCOMPETENT AND IMMUNODEFICIENT MICE

Electrochemotherapy combines chemotherapy with electric pulses in orde r to potentiate anti-tuner effectiveness of chemotherapeutic drugs, El ectrochemotherapy with drugs that normally do not accumulate in the tu mor cells in sufficient quantities, such as bleomycin and, to some ext ent, cis-platin, has already been well elaborated. For complete tumor eradication, the immune system of the organism is essential. In this s tudy, LPB sarcoma was treated in immunocompetent C57B1/6 and immunodef icient nude mice, with the aim to determine the differences in anti-tu mor effectiveness of electrochemotherapy with cis-platin. Differences observed in anti-tumor effectiveness were evaluated by tumor growth de lay and the percentage of tumor cures obtained. The tumor growth delay in was achieved in immunocompetent mice, but none in immunodeficient mice. The results of our study clearly demonstrate that the host immun e system is essential for obtaining cures after electrochemotherapy wi th cis-platin. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.