Effects of a three-drug antineoplastic protocol of wound healing in rats: a biomechanical and histologic study on gastrointestinal anastomoses and laparotomy wounds.

Using biomechanical and histologic approaches, the effect of perioperative administration of a drug protocol containing 5-fluoruracil, Adriamycin, and mitomycin C (FAM) on the healing of gastrointestinal anastomoses and laparotomy wounds in rats was examined. Application of FAM immediately before operation resulted in significant impairment of wound healing in the early postoperative period. Once the proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen synthesis had led to an increase of mechanical strength, no negative effect on wound healing could be detected applying the same chemotherapeutic agents. These findings indicate the early inflammatory phase of the wound healing process to be most vulnerable to the chemotherapeutic effects. This has significant implications if the theoretical advantages of starting adjuvant chemotherapeutic treatment in the immediate postoperative period are implemented.