Effect of various oxygenation conditions and fluosol-DA on cancer chemotherapeutic agents.

Adding Fluosol-DA and carbogen breathing to treatment with various anticancer drugs can result in a significant enhancement of tumor growth delay compared to the drug and air breathing. The optimal conditions for tumor response depend upon the drug, oxygenation level and duration, and perfluorochemical emulsion dosage. In this study, representative chemotherapeutic agents from several classes were tested in a tumor growth delay assay in combination with various doses of Fluosol-DA under conditions of normal aeration, carbogen breathing either for 1-2 hours or 6 hours, or with hyperbaric 100% oxygen (3 atmospheres) breathing for 1 hour to determine whether the antitumor activity of these drugs would be improved.