Enhancement by hyperthermia of the effect of BCNU against the EMT6 mouse tumor.

The combination of moderate hyperthermia (43 degrees C water bath for 1 hour) and BCNU against the EMT6 mouse tumor has been studied. The effect was found to be much greater than could have been predicted from the effects of the single modalities and this is true whether the endpoint is tumor cure, growth delay, or in vitro assay of clonogenic fraction. The results indicate that inhibition of "recovery from potentially lethal drug damage" is not the mechanism by which heating potentiates the action of BCNU.