Direct delivery of anticancer agents: experimental treatment of intraocular malignancy.

Two anticancer agents, one lipophilic, 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), and one hydrophilic, 5-(3,3-dimethyl-1-triazeno) imidazol-4-carboxamide (DTIC), were used to treat Brown-Pearce epithelioma in the anterior chamber of rabbit eyes. The BCNU test animals were divided into three groups: one treated by direct injection of the drug into the subconjuntival space or the anterior chamber, the second by both direct injections and intravenous administration, and the third by intravenous injection alone. The DTIC test animals were treated with only local injection into the subconjunctival space or anterior chamber. Dosage, delivery system, and effectiveness were compared following clinical observation and histopathologic examination. Direct delivery of BCNU or DTIC in subconjuntival space or anterior chamber delayed the growth of Brown-Pearce epithelioma in rabbit eye. The effectiveness of this treatment was significnatly enhanced by combining direct injection with systemic administration of a lower dose of BCNU.