THE EFFECT OF INTRALESIONAL BLEOMYCIN ON CANINE ACANTHOMATOUS EPULIS

Four dogs with recurrent acanthematous epulis (AE) were injected with bleomycin (5 mg) intralesionally once a week. In three cases, tumors w ere clinically indistinguishable within three-to-eight weeks. In the f ourth case, the tumor disappeared after 10 weekly injections. Through the administration period of bleomycin, no adverse reactions were reco gnized in any case. Electron microscopic examination together with a d ecrease in the percentage of mitotic cells implied that bleomycin migh t inhibit deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) synthesis of tumor cells.