Treatment of P388 leukemia in vivo with perfluoroctylbromide and radiation: a preliminary study.

Perfluorinated hydrocarbon compounds (PFHC) possess unique physical properties suggesting possible usefulness in man. Their low surface tension allows free flow into tiny folds and crevices, facilitating dispersion along peritoneal surfaces affected by a tumor. These substances are also oxygen solvents. BDF1 female mice injected intraperitoneally (IP) with 10(6) P388 mouse leukemia cells were studied following treatment with preoxygenated compound 1913 and increasing doses of radiation. Preliminary results suggest increased life span compared to radiation treatment alone. Radioenhancement at high sublethal doses of whole-body radiation cannot be excluded.