Effectiveness of murine leukemia chemotherapy according to the immune state: reconsideration of correlations between chemotherapy, tumour cell killing, and survival time

Recent Results Cancer Res. 1977:(62):9-12. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-81174-6_3.

Abstract

Cyclophosphamide (CPM) chemotherapy (134 mg/kg) of L1210 leukemia is less efficient in mice previously immunodepressed by antithymocyte serum (ATS) than in non-ATS pretreated mice. On the other hand, administration of a higher dose of CPM (403 mg/kg), which kills a greater number of leukemic cells but induces an immunodepression, according to the skin graft test, results in a shorter survival time than does the administration of a lower dose of CPM (134 mg/kg), capable of killing fewer leukemic cells but not inducing such an immunodepression. Thus, it appears that: (1) the antileukemic effect of the same dose of a chemotherapeutic drug is less efficient in immunodepressed than in nonimmunodepressed hosts, and (2) calculation of the number of neoplastic cells killed by a given chemotherapy by extrapolation from the survival time may lead to erroneous conclusions.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antilymphocyte Serum / pharmacology
  • Cell Survival
  • Cyclophosphamide / administration & dosage
  • Cyclophosphamide / therapeutic use*
  • Immunity*
  • Immunosuppression Therapy
  • Leukemia L1210 / drug therapy*
  • Leukemia L1210 / immunology
  • Leukemia L1210 / mortality
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred Strains
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology

Substances

  • Antilymphocyte Serum
  • Cyclophosphamide