The efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents against murine bladder metastasis

Three chemotherapeutic agents, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and cis-diamminedichloro-platinum (cis-platinum), were examined for their effectiveness against metastases in a murine transitional cell carcinoma model. Systemic treatment of the drugs was applied against a MBT-2 derived subline which generates 100% incidence of lung metastases in C3H mice by five weeks. The drugs were examined for their effect against the number of metastases, incidence of metastasis and size of the subcutaneously implanted primary tumor. All three compounds significantly reduced both the number of lung metastases and the incidence when compared to untreated animals. None of the agents proved 100% effective against metastatic tumors. These results suggest the existence of a chemotherapeutic resistant population of metastatic cells. Administration of methotrexate and cis-platinum effectively reduced the size of the primary tumor as compared to untreated animals. Cyclophosphamide did not significantly affect primary tumor size. The response of the antineoplastic agents against the metastatic tumor cells indicates that the L3F2 metastatic cell line is an effective model to study agents against metastatic bladder cancer.