Background: Pancreatic cancer frequently recurs or metastasizes even after apparently curative surgical resection. Because of a low, five-year survival rate after radical surgery, multi-modal adjuvant treatment must be used to prevent recurrence of systemic spread.
Materials and methods: The effectiveness of the experimental cancer chemotherapy of mitomycin C (MMC), cisplatin (DDP), doxorubicin (DXR) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) was evaluated in three human pancreatic cancer xenografts serially transplanted in nude mice.
Results: When the effects of these agents were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, only MMC and DDP were effective on PAN-3-JCK, a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. When PAN-12-JCK, a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, was used an in vitro assessment of combined chemotherapy of MMC and DDP, a synergistic combination effect was observed. Three xenografts were transplanted subcutaneously into nude mice and the maximum tolerated doses of these agents were administered intraperitoneally or intravenously (DXR). MMC showed positive antitumor activity on PAN-3-JCK and PAN-12-JCK, and 5-FU was effective on PAN-12-JCK.
Conclusions: These results reflect the low sensitivity of clinical pancreatic cancer to conventionally available antitumor agents, and suggest the possible synergistic combination antitumor activity of MMC and DDP.