Interference of anti-tumor and immunosuppressive effects of cyclophosphamide in tumor-bearing rats

Summary

Adult rats were given 10⁵ or 10⁶ Yoshida ascites sarcoma (YAS) cells IP and were treated with cyclophosphamide (CY) given IP in single doses of 20 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg, 2 or 5 days after YAS inoculation. Both the curative effect of CY and subsequent resistance to tumor challenge in rats that survived depended on the dose of injected tumor cells and on the dose and time of administration of CY. These three factors determined whether the host's immune response to tumor antigens would develop and contribute to the overall anti-tumor effects of the chemotherapy. The curative effects of CY were significantly less pronounced in T-cell-deficient than in normal rats. Anti-tumor and immunosuppressive activities of CY exerted opposite influences on the ultimate result of the chemotherapy. Adverse immunosuppressive effects prevailed when the drug was administered early (2 days) after YAS inoculation. In this case the chemotherapy was less efficient and the surviving rats were susceptible to a subsequent tumor challenge. Further analysis showed that the injection of CY 2 days after inoculation of YAS antigens induced strong and specific immunologic tolerance to the tumor. In contrast, when a sufficient amount of tumor antigens (higher dose of tumor cells injected and CY injection delayed) elicited an anti-YAS immune response that was not suppressed by early injection of CY (CY administered 5 days after the tumor) effective eradication of tumor cells and anti-YAS resistance in cured animals were observed.