Abstract
Treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) with a combination of electrical impulses and bleomycin (BLM) resulted in great efficacy of tumor cell killing, in in vivo experiments. An application of high-voltage electrical impulses to tumors, after injection of Bleomycin, resulted in their disappearance within 4 days in renal cell carcinoma-bearing mice. Such complete regression was achieved at a single bleomycin dose of 1/10 of the LD50, when combined with electrical pulses. However, the tumor regrow again after day 11. Other drugs. such as CDDP, 5-FU, MMC, and Vinblastin, showed no retardation of tumor growth. This electrochemotherapy induced apoptotic cell death in RCC. The concomitant use of high-voltage electrical impulses has the potential to increase the efficacy of Bleomycin treatment of renal cancer, as reflected in a substantial reduction in tumor growth.
