Effect of an anticancer agent, vinblastine, on mouse skin

The effect of vinblastine (VLB), an anticancer agent which has recently been shown to have Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-activating potency, on CD-1 mouse skin was investigated. A single topical application of either 15 or 100 micrograms of VLB induced epidermal hyperplasia. Twice weekly applications of these doses of VLB either for 29 weeks after a 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene (DMBA) initiation (one-stage promotion) or for 27 weeks after DMBA initiation and a limited treatment with 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) (two-stage promotion) failed to show any significant tumor-promoting activity at 30 weeks. The problem of EBV activation and its relationship to tumor promotion should await more definitive studies.