Studies with a spontaneous mouse tumor. I. Growth in normal mice and response to Corynebacterium parvum.

Growth of isogeneic transplants of a spontaneous murine adenocarcinoma, which is virtually devoid of tumour-specific transplantation antigens, is inhibited by i.v. injection of C. parvum 3 days after tumour inoculation, or by mixing a small dose of C. parvum with the tumour inoculum. Moreover, the therapeutic effect of cyclophosphamide, followed by i.v. or i.p. injection of C. parvum 5 days later, on established transplants of the same tumour is greater than that of cyclophosphamide alone. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that in both situations (i.e. before the appearance of a palpable tumour and after reduction of an established tumour transplant with cyclophosphamide) the effect of C. parvum is largely due to activation of macrophages or macrophage precursors. They have the important practical implication that adjuvant therapy with C. parvum may be of value, even with tumours which are devoid of TSTA.