Matching of chemotherapy to mouse strain and lymphoid tumor type to prevent tumor-induced suppression of specific T- and B-cell functions.

Specific immunological and hematopoietic functions were studied during treatment with antineoplastic agents in mice bearing syngeneic lymphoid tumors: 70Z/2, a B-cell lymphoma of C57BL X DBA/2 F1 (hereafter called (BD2F1) mice; EL4, a T-cell lymphoma of C57BL/6 mice; or J774, a macrophage tumor of BALB/c mice. Both B- and T-lymphocyte function (antibody-forming cells and cell-mediated lymphocyte lympholysis toward alloantigens) were suppressed in spleen cells of mice bearing these tumors. Other hematopoietic functions (granulocyte, macrophage, and megakaryocyte progenitor cells) were variably influenced by growth of these lymphoid tumors. J774 enhanced, but 70Z/2 suppressed, megakaryocyte progenitor cells. J774 and 70Z/2 increased levels of granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells. EL4, the T-cell lymphoma, did not influence either cell type. Significant variation in strain sensitivity to drug toxicity and drug effectiveness in different tumor-host systems was observed. Increased median survival time with reversal of tumor-induced immune dysfunction, without toxicity to hematopoietic progenitor cells, was realized in two tumor-host-drug combinations. Polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid was effective against J774, while actinomycin D was active against 70Z/2. Mitomycin C effectively reduced tumor load, as evidenced by loss of splenic tumor colony-forming cells for all three tumors. This agent prolonged survival and concomitantly restored immunological responsiveness in hosts immunosuppressed by growth of 70Z/2 or J774. Paralleling tumor reduction with mitomycin C therapy, the splenic hematopoietic progenitor and colony-forming B-cells were reduced in tumor-bearing and tumor-free mice, thus compromising its therapeutic effectiveness. 1-beta-D-Arabinofuranosylcytosine reduced tumor load with marginal toxicity toward hematopoietic progenitor and colony-forming B-cells. However, immune responsiveness was only partially restored, and median survival was not increased. The results presented show the diversity of therapeutic drug effectiveness in increasing mean survival time and influencing other life-sustaining parameters (immunological and hematopoietic functions).