In vitro effect of 5-fluorouracil, verapamil and hyperthermia on the human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cell line ASPC-1.

The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of verapamil (20 microM) and hyperthermia (42 degrees C) as modifiers of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) used at different concentrations, in inhibiting the growth of human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Combined verapamil and hyperthermia treatment significantly decreased cell count by 63.8% when compared to the control. Verapamil drastically enhanced the growth inhibitory effect of 5-FU at all concentrations. At high-concentration 5-FU (50 micrograms/ml), verapamil and hyperthermia had a synergistic growth-inhibitory effect and caused a significant decrease in cell count by 81.4% in comparison to the control. The modalities analyzed in this study require further investigation and have potential for clinical applicability to pancreatic cancer therapy in the future.