Enhancement by perflusion emulsion (Oxygent) and carbogen breathing of the tumor growth delay of the FSaIIC fibrosarcoma after treatment with antitumor alkylating agents.

Many anticancer drugs require oxygen to be cytotoxic, or are selectively cytotoxic toward cells under oxygenated conditions. The effects of the dilute perfluorochemical emulsion Fluosol-DA with a wide variety of chemotherapeutic agents have been explored; however, it has not been possible to determine the optimal level of circulating perfluorochemical emulsion with anticancer drugs because the volume of Fluosol that may be administered in limited. Using a concentrated 90% Perflubron emulsion, Oxygent, a wide range of perfluorochemical emulsion doses have been examined in combination with melphalan, cyclophosphamide and BCNU in a murine solid tumor model. When Oxygent was administered by injection i.v. just prior to the injection of melphalan (10 mg/kg), the greatest tumor growth delays were obtained with Oxygent levels between 4 and 12 g PFC/kg. With each of these drugs the greatest tumor growth delays were obtained when the drug was prepared in the emulsion and the combination injected i.v. In each case, each dose of drug was followed by 6 h. of breathing carbogen.