Response to antitumor agents of murine transplantable tumors implanted onto chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryo.

The chorioallantoic membrane of chick embryo was used to examine the chemosensitivity of the murine tumors, B16-F1 melanoma, B16-F10 melanoma, Meth-A fibrosarcoma, and Ehrlich carcinoma. The tumors were grown on the membrane, and the effects of 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl)methyl-3-(2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride, cyclophosphamide, dacarbazine, 5-fluorouracil, methotrexate, adriamycin, mitomycin C, vincristine, and cisplatin on the growth of the tumors were tested by iv injection into a vein of the chorioallantoic membrane or injection into the yolk sac. The use of chick embryo limits the time for drug exposure to 3 or 4 days, but Ehrlich carcinoma and Meth-A fibrosarcoma needed longer for the test; the use of irradiation from a cobalt source overcame the problem by increasing the growth rate of the grafts of these two tumors. There appeared to be a good correlation between the effects of the drugs on B16 melanomas grown in the eggs and in the original animals. Many compounds, including pro-drugs such as cyclophosphamide and dacarbazine, could be assayed in this way.