The effect of immunotherapy with BCG on the development of radiostrontium (90Sr)-induced osteosarcoma

The development of radiostrontium-induced osteosarcoma was studied in BCG-treated and in untreated control mice. Within the observation period of 420 days after the administration of radiostrontium there was a total tumour-incidence of 89.5 and 90.5 per cent for the respective groups of animals. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups, neither with regard to the time of the first roentgenographic appearance of the osteosarcoma, nor concerning the total tumour incidence , nor with regard to the distribution of the primary sites of the tumours. The tumours of the BCG-treated animals showed a clear tendency to a slower growth rate in comparison to that of the tumours in the control animals. This effect was probably immunological in nature. The mortality in osteosarcoma following radiostrontium administration, however, showed no significant difference between the two groups. Light microscopical and ultrastructural examination did not disclose any clear structural difference between the tumours from BCG-treated and untreated control animals.