Therapeutic activity of ICRF-159 combined with surgery: effects of postsurgical treatment with cyclophosphamide in mice bearing Lewis lung carcinoma lines.

The therapeutic activity of the combined treatment with surgery and ICRF-159, measured in terms of increase of the survival time, has been tested in mice bearing two Lewis lung carcinoma lines having different potential to spontaneously metastasize (M1087 high; BM21548 low). As expected from the characteristics of this drug, a significant prolongation of the survival time of the treated hosts can be achieved only after presurgical treatment; the overall effect is greater using the tumor line with low metastatic ability. The response of the two tumor lines used to postoperative treatment with Cyclophosphamide also depends upon the tumor line used. The preoperative treatment of the animals with ICRF-159 markedly increases the response to Cyclophosphamide of the low responding M1087 line.