PROLONGATION OF SURVIVAL PERIOD AND IMPROVEMENT OF CANCER CACHEXIA BYLONG-TERM ADMINISTRATION OF UFT

We assayed the antitumoral and anticachectic activity of an oral fluor opyrimidine, UFT using the Colon-26-bearing murine cachexia model in t erms of the survival period and parameters corresponding to clinical s ymptoms. Tumor growth was inhibited by UFT dose-dependently at the dos e range of 12.5-25.0 mg/kg per day. Although UFT did not show signific ant growth inhibition at 15.0 and 12.5 mg/kg to which UFT gave little toxicity, the survival period was shown to be superior to the case of maximum tolerated dose (25.0 mg/kg per day). Next, we compared the max imum increase of life span (ILS) value for an administration schedule of continuous 9 days and 5 weeks which mimics the clinical schedule an d found that the ILS value in the latter group was superior to the for mer and UFT improved cachexia, in the same manner. In the following ex periments, we have clarified that UFT decreased the level of both plas ma interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumorous prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and i t highly accelerated IL-6 production from Colon-26. These findings sug gest that UFT therapy, in low-toxic dose, could be useful to cachectic patients with poor performance status.