1991 Volume 3 Issue 1 Pages 1-8
The effect of immunotherapy with OK-432 on human oral floor cancer, moderately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma transplanted to nude mice, was examined, comparing different routes of drug administration. One KE/kg of OK-432 was administered every other day for 10 days (total 5 KE/kg) to each animal via three routes : intra-abdominal, subcutis and intra-tumor mass. The size of the tumor was measured every other day, and its presumed weight was calculated. The mice were sacrificed on the 8th day from the last administration of drug, and the tumor tissue was examined histologically.
Tumor proliferation was suppressed in all the groups to which OK-432 had been administered. The suppressive effect was comparatively pronounced in the group of intra-tumor mass administration. Histological examination revealed that in the control group the tumor tissue showed an alveolar proliferative pattern with minimal inflammatory cell reaction in the stroma, whereas the tumor tissue in intra-tumor mass with the drug administration showed prominent necrosis at the center with various reaction of inflammatory cells.
In the two other groups, such degenerative and necrotic changes were not so notable. The details of the anti-tumor effect of OK-432 in intra-abdominal administration are not yet clear. The route of drug administration is considered to be crucial in evaluating the effect of the drug.
