The influence of trauma, Dextran 1000, and Dextran 40 on the lodgement of circulating tumor cells.

Earlier studies have shown that trauma and infusion of Dextran 1000 increased the formation of pulmonary metastases after i.v. tumor cell injection in rats. Infusion of Dextran 40 enhanced the pulmonary metastasis formation in traumatized but not in non-traumatized animals. In this study tumor cells labelled with a radioactive isotope were used to register the lodgement circulating tumor cells after trauma and infusion of Dextran 1000 and Dextran 40. It was found that the pulmonary lodgement of tumor cells was increased after trauma and infusion of Dextran 1000. Dextran 40 did not influence the lodgement in a significant way either in normal or in traumatized animals. Thus, the increased formation of metastases after trauma and infusion of Dextran 1000 seems to depend upon an increased tumor cell lodgement.