TESTING PROSPECTIVE ANTICANCER DRUGS AGAINST HUMAN TUMORS USING SIMPLE IN-VIVO MODELS

The activities of established and experimental antitumor drugs were te sted against the BRO and MeWo human melanomas transplanted in the subr enal capsule of phenotypically immunocompetent (CBA x C57BL/6)F-1 mice . Immunosuppression was achieved with preliminary whole-body radiation , and cytological examination showed that the tumors of untreated mice consisted largely of viable tumor cells. Several drugs tested showed moderate activity against one or both tumors. The system described pro vides a basis for testing anticancer agents against a panel of human m elanomas implanted in immunocompetent mice.