Influence of glucocorticoids on the cellular immune response evoked by an experimental sarcoma in rats

A test system to evaluate the influence of antineoplastic drugs on the cell-mediated immune response evoked by an experimental rat carcinoma is presented. Thoracic Duct cells from W 49 tumor-bearing WF rats were added to monolayers of 51Cr-labelled tumor cells. A clear cytotoxic effect was noted. In vivo glucocorticoid treatment of rats after tumor inoculation prevented the appearance of such cells. In vivo tumor growth rate was not affected.