[Action of taxol on human tumors transplanted in athymic mice].

In order to study the antitumour activity of taxol (a diterpene of the taxane type) isolated from Yew: Taxus baccata L. (Taxacae), human tumours implanted as xenografts in athymic Mice were used. Swiss nude mice were treated subcutaneously (12.5 mg/kg/injection/day for 5 consecutive days out of 7, over a period of 3 weeks). Treatment by taxol of a liver metastasis of a breast tumour, a tongue primary tumour and a skin metastasis of bronchial carcinoma gave statistically significant results (0,01 greater than P greater than 0,001 and P less than 0,001). However, taxol showed a very moderate antitumour activity against a transplanted primary tumour of the colon.