BCG influence on 256 Walker carcinosarcoma growth in rats in relation to adrenal cortex status.

BCG influence on antitumoral immunity varied in relation to the timing and the way of administration, as well as in relation to the adrenal cortex status of the animals. BCG administration several days before tumor grafting, but especially when mixed with tumoral cells determined a maximum antitumoral effect, while vaccination after the tumor had been formed enhanced its metastasization. The decrease of the endogenous corticoids secretion amplified the antitumoral effect of BCG, while exogenous cortisone diminished this effect. The study of in vitro cultivated tumoral cells as well as microscopic examination of the tumors suggest the involvement of a complex process in the achievement of the nonspecific antitumoral immunity, a process in which the adrenal cortex status plays an important role.