Augmentation of anticancer effect with angiotensin II in intraarterial infusion chemotherapy for breast carcinoma

We investigated the effect of angiotensin II (AT II) on blood flow in breast cancer patients using 81mKr and found that it increased tumor blood flow 2.3-fold while decreasing blood flow in adjacent normal tissue 0.7-fold. We, then, used AT II in conjunction with intraarterial infusion chemotherapy (IAC) for locally advanced breast cancer in order to increase drug delivery to the tumor and enhance its anticancer effect. Eleven patients (from 1976-1981) received IAC with doxorubicin through the internal thoracic and subclavian arteries, alternately, for 10 days (AT II- group). Twenty-four patients (from 1981-1985) received IAC with doxorubicin and concomitant infusion of AT II (1.3 micrograms/min through the internal thoracic artery and 2.6 micrograms/min through the subclavian artery) (AT II+ group). The response rate of the primary breast tumor was higher in the AT II+ group (92%) than in the AT II- group (73%) (P = 0.66). Complete tumor necrosis was 46% in the AT II+ group, but only 27% in the AT II- group (P = 0.51). These preliminary results suggest that the anticancer effect of IAC for breast cancer can be enhanced with concomitant infusion of AT II.