Chemotherapy of experimental transitional-cell carcinoma

Transitional-cell carcinoma of the bladder has been induced by chronic oral administration of N-[4-(5-nitro-2-furyl)-2-thiazolyl] formamide (FANFT) in C3H/He mice, and successfully transplanted in syngeneic animals. Evaluation of the effectiveness of several chemotherapeutic agents on this tumor indicated that cyclophosphamide and cis-diammine dichloroplatinum (CACP) significantly inhibited tumor growth and prolonged the median survival time of tumor-bearing animals. When administered before formation of palpable tumors, cyclophosphamide completely prevented growth of the implants in 100 per cent of animals; when administered after the growth of larger, palpable tumors, cyclophosphamide inhibited tumor growth in all animals and produced a "cure" in 45 per cent. Combination chemotherapy with cyclophosphamide and CACP was more effective than either drug used as a single agent. Adriamycin, dactinomycin, and mitomycin C administered individually exhibited limited activity while 5-fluorouracil, CCNU (1-2 choloroethyl-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea), BCNU (1,3-bis [2-chloroethyl]-1-nitrosourea), methrotrexate, and hydroxyurea were ineffective against this tumor. The consistent growth pattern, the histologic similarity to bladder cancer in human beings, and the successful propagation in syngeneic animals, make the FANFT-induced tumor a suitable model for chemotherapy of bladder carcinoma in human beings.