CYTOTOXIC EFFECT OF BCG ON TUMOR-CELLS VIEWED IN CYTOKINE ACTIVITIES INDUCED IN-VITRO

The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between the efficacy of the BCG instillation therapy, cytokine production of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) activated by BCG in vitro, a nd the concentration of cytokines in serum and urine following BCC ins tillation. We studied 7 patients who had carcinoma in situ of the urin ary bladder. Tokyo strain 172 BCG was administered weekly for 8 weeks as 80 mg of BCG in 40 ml of saline, instilled into the bladder and ret ained for Z hours. Out of the 7 patients, 6 achieved complete remissio n after 8 sessions of instillation. In 5 of the 7 patients, cytokine p roduction by PBMC after incubation with BCG in vitro was studied. Afte r co-culture of BCG and PBMC for 24 hours, concentrations of TNF alpha and IFN gamma in the supernatant ranged from 216 to 3563 pg/ml (mean; 1146 +/- 1384), from 992 to 2030 pg/ml (mean; 1398 +/- 487), respecti vely. Although concentrations of TNF alpha in serum were slightly elev ated in 3 of 7 and IFN gamma in 1 of 7 patients at 6 hours following t he first session of BCG instillation, concentrations of these cytokine s in the urine were not elevated. There was no relationship between th e tumor response to BCG therapy, concentrations of TNF alpha or IFN ga mma in serum and urine, and the concentration of cytotoxic cytokines m ediated by BCG in vitro.