1997 Volume 30 Issue 7 Pages 1739-1746
The aim of the study is to demonstrate a tumoricidal effect of povidone-iodine (PVP-I) against intraluminal exfoliated carcinoma cells in specimens with colorectal malignancy. As a preliminary experiment, cultured human colon cancer cells added to PVP-I solution were centrifuged on a Nycodenz linear density gradient column. Viable tumor cells were revealed to be concentrated in a band at the top while nonviable tumor cells were at the bottom. Based on the results, the same technique was applied to the exforiated colorectal carcinoma cells in surgical specimens. Eight operative specimens of colorectal cancer were irrigated with tissue culture medium and the resulting cell specimens were centrifuged on the same column as the previous study. In all eight specimens, tumor cells were recovered with a median percentage viability of 86 for proximal lumen specimens and 67 for distal lumen specimens. Then, another 16 operative specimens were irrigated. Half of the cell specimens were added to PVP-I solution. The viability of tumor cells was not impaired in the 0.5% PVP-I group, whereas in the 5% PVP-I group, the median percentage viability was 0 in both lumen specimens. PVP-I had tumoricidal efficacy and bowel irrigation with this agent may reduce the local recurrence of colorectal cancer.
