Atmospheric pressure effects on tumor growth: hypobaric anoxia and growth of a murine transplantable tumor.

Inasmuch as solid tumor growth and some intervention methods for tumor control have often been related to the low oxygen levels in tumor tissue, and a special role for hypoxia, perhaps even in oncogenesis, has been suggested by observations of unexpectedly low tumor incidence in mice caged a lifetime in the environment of a simulated altitude, inbred C3H/HeN mammary tumor virus-positive mice bearing transplanted tumors (16/C murine mammary adenocarcinoma) were exposed to atmospheric pressure variants ranging from 0.33 to 2.0 in different sequences 24 hours/day. Breathing gases included air, 100% oxygen, and other nitrogen--oxygen combinations. Exposure to the pressure sequences was continuous, beginning on the third day after tumor inoculation and continuing until planned necropsy at 1, 2, or 3 weeks. Actual tumor weight was used as a measure of effect. Mice caged at simulated altitude had tumors that averaged 45% of the weight of control tumors. The maximum effect occurred with continuous 2-week exposure to 0.43 atm. beginning on day 3 of tumor growth. At necropsy, these experimental tumors weighed an average of 15% of the control tumor weight. Life-span studies showed a maximum of 36% increase in longevity in the hypobaric pressure-exposed mice when compared to that of unexposed controls.