Antimetastatic effect of biological response modifiers in the "double grafted tumor system".

The antimetastatic effect of biological response modifiers (BRM) in a new experimental mouse model was studied. Intratumoral administration of BRMs (PSK, OK-432, interferon alpha A/D) strongly inhibited the growth of Meth-A solid tumors in male BALB/c mice and led to a complete regression of tumors and resistance to reinoculated tumors. Subsequently, the antimetastatic effect of BRMs was examined in the "double grafted tumor system," in which mice first received simultaneous intradermal inoculations of Meth-A in the right (10(6) cells) and left (2 X 10(5) cells) flanks and were then injected with BRMs in the right tumor on day 3. PSK and interferon (IFN) significantly inhibited the growth of the left (non-treated) tumor. This finding suggests that intratumoral BRM immunotherapy in one region has an effect on tumor growth in another region. Immunized spleen cells were taken from mice which had been cured by the intratumoral administration of BRMs and had rejected reinoculated tumors. One hour after intravenous injection of cyclophosphamide (2 mg/mouse), immunized spleen cells (2 X 10(7) cells/mouse) were injected into the Meth-A tumor on day 3. Adoptive transfers of PSK and IFN immunized spleen cells caused the complete regression of Meth-A tumors. These results suggest that the intratumoral administration of BRMs might induce cytotoxic cells in the left non-treated tumor of the "double grafted tumor system" and bring about the regression of metastatic tumors.