Effect of anticancer agents on invasion of mouse fibrosarcoma cells in vitro.

The anti-invasive effect of microtubule inhibitors and other growth inhibitors was examined in confrontations of aggregates of mouse fibrosarcoma cells (MO4) with fragments of embryonic chick heart. The microtubule inhibitors Nocodazole and methyl [5-(2-(4-fluorophenyl)-1,3-dioxolan-2-yl)-1H-benzimidazole-2-yl] carbamate at 1 microgram/ml inhibited invasion. 5-Fluorouracil at 1 microgram/ml, mitomycin C at 0.1 microgram/ml and ionizing radiation at 50 Gy permitted invasion of fibrosarcoma cells into the heart tissue. These results suggest that tumors, the growth of which is effectively controlled, might continue to invade.