Evaluation of chemotherapy of prostatic cancer in nude mice

The effect of chemotherapy for treatment of prostatic cancer was studied in two different types of human prostatic tumors grown in nude mice based on growth curves and histological examination. As single agents, cis-platinum and vincristine showed significant growth inhibition in both strains; cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, Adriamycin, and peplomycin were effective in only one strain, whereas 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), ACNU, and Estracyt were not effective in either strain, even at relatively high doses. A study was also carried out on multimodal combination chemotherapy with fewer side effects, and such therapy is in clinical use. The treatment is composed of VPM (vincristine, peplomycin, and methotrexate) followed by CCF (cis-platinum, cytosine arabinoside, and 5-FU) and ACF (Adriamycin, cytosine arabinoside, and 5-FU). Antitumor effects related to synchronization of tumor cells were investigated by sequential autoradiography and DNA histography.