Evaluation of the retinoids with cisplatin and vincristine in xenograft models of neuroblastoma.

Retinoids have been studied for the treatment of children with neuroblastoma for >25 years. Posttransplant administration of isotretinoin is standard of care for children with high-risk neuroblastoma, whereas fenretinide remains investigational. Previous preclinical studies have evaluated the interaction of retinoids and cytotoxic agents with conflicting results. We evaluated the schedule-dependent interaction of the cytotoxic agents, vincristine and cisplatin, with the retinoids, isotretinoin and fenretinide, in xenograft models of neuroblastoma. Concomitant administration of isotretinoin or fenretinide with the cytotoxic agents did not result in any clear potentiation of cytotoxicity.