The effect of thrombocytopenia and antiserotonin treatment on the lodgement of circulating tumor cells. A vital fluorescence microscopic, electron microscopic and isotope study in the rat.

The hepatic lodgement of intraportally injected fibrosarcoma cells was analysed with a combination of vital fluorescence microscopic, electron microscopic and isotope techniques in normal, thrombocytopenic and antiserotonin treated (Ketanserin) rats. Ketanserin had no effect on the initial arrest of the tumor cells, as measured 5 min after tumor cell injection, which is in analogy with our previous results on thrombocytopenia. Three hours after injection, the number of lodged tumor cells was significantly reduced by both thrombocytopenia and Ketanserin treatment. Thrombocytopenia was more efficient in reducing tumor cell lodgement than antiserotonin treatment. The in vivo and electron microscopic observations indicated that the reduction of tumor cell lodgement was due to an increased destruction of tumor cells. The similar effects of Ketanserin and thrombocytopenia suggest that serotonin, when released from platelets activated in the presence of tumor cells, increases the survival of fibrosarcoma cells lodged in the liver.