The influence of unspecific (immunologic) stimulation of the reticulo‐endothelial system (RES) associated with an anticoagulant treatment (heparin) on metastasis formation has been studied in adult mice on which intravenous inoculation had been performed (tail vein) with 5 × 106/0.2 ml Ehrlich‐Lettré tetraploid ascites carcinoma cells. The mice were divided into four groups: I: controls; II. unspecifically stimulated RES; III. heparin treatment, and IV. stimulated RES (Polidin) plus heparin. The results obtained show that: 1. by unspecific (immunologic) stimulation of the RES initiated prior to tumor inoculation, the latent period before metastases developed was remarkably extended without, however, any significant modifications in the ultimate metastatic incidence; 2. association of an anticoagulant treatment (heparin) with RES stimulation (Polidin) induced a marked decrease in metastatic incidence (28%) compared to exclusively stimulating (76%), or exclusively anticoagulating (47%).

Summary.-The effect of 10% glucose solution and narcosis upon the blood borne cancer cells was studied on Wistar rats, with Walker 256 carcinosarcoma inoculated intravenously.Our experiment reveals obvious differences between the control group and the groups treated with glucose concerning incidence, localization and tumour extension, differences which suggest that there is a risk in using glucose in the intra-and post-surgical resuscitation of patients with cancer.

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The injection of Ehrlich tumor cells into normal and immunosuppressed rats induced a transitory ascitic tumor. In an initial stage only Ehrlich metaphases were observed. The incidence of rat metaphases, which appeared later on, increased gradually reaching 100 % in a stage when neither the viability nor the tumorigenicity of the Ehrlich cells were significantly modified. No mouse-rat hybrid cells were observed. The results suggest that cell hybridization may be essential for the ‘naturalization’ of a heterologous tumor.

When Stage I and II cancers of the breast and their axillary lymph nodes were grown in the same tissue culture, a phenomenon of lymphocytic migration from the nodal explants to the tumor explants was observed. The lymphocytes infiltrated in and around the tumor nodules with cytotoxic effects; concomitantly, there was lymphocytic depletion in the nodal explants. The lymphocyte migration was particularly apparent when the axillary lymph nodes showed hyperplasia of the paracortical area and/or sinus histiocytosis. No correlation was found between the migration and the histologic type of disease or the degree of malignancy, but a strong correlation was observed between 1) the migration and the presence or absence of metastases in the explanted lymph nodes, and 2) the extent of the metastatic involvement in vivo. The lymphocyte migration was present only in the patient either uninvolved lymph nodes or only a small number (1-3) of metastatic nodes.