SUMMARY.-The effect of the progestogen medroxyprogesterone acetate on metastases from renal, endometrial and other tumours has been studied in 25 patients. Seven patients with renal and endometrial tumours had a useful response, pulmonary metastases and a large primary renal tumour showing the greatest effect. Bony metastases were unaffected by the drug and were treated by local radiotherapy. If a response occurred, it did so within 3 months.IT has been known for several years that the growth of some tumours may be influenced by hormones. Breast tumours will often respond to hormone treatment or to endocrine gland ablation. Briggs et al. (1967) summarised work on the responses of tumours of women, such as those of the breast, endometrium, ovary and cervix, to various progestogens and found an overall response rate of 280%.Renal tumours, which are somewhat more common in males than females, may have endocrine effects, such as polycythaemia and hypertension, due to the release of erythropoietin or renin into the circulation. In the male golden hamster, renal tumours may be produced by chronic oestrogen administration (Matthews et al., 1947;Kirkham and Robbins, 1959), the histological pattern of this tumour being similar to that of human renal tumours (Horning and Whittick, 1954). Both testosterone and progestogens inhibit the production and growth of the tumour; it may be transplanted into the male hamsters which have been oestrogen sensitised, and progestogen may inhibit the growth rate of the transplanted tumour. Cortisone may also have a cancericidal effect, and when given with progestogen in these animals produced almost complete inhibition of tumour growth . Bloom (1964) tried the combination of testosterone and progestogen in 3 patients and corticosteroid treatment in 7 patients with metastatic renal adenocarcinoma without effect, and in another patient progestogen appeared to cause the mastastases to increase whilst testosterone caused them to regress (Bloom and Wallace, 1964). Since then, further trials on patients have taken place. Bloom (1967) reported the effects of steroid treatment in 38 patients (21 men and 17 women) with incurable renal adenocarcinoma and multiple metastases. Of these, 32 had more than one organ involved and 23 were seriously ill or " terminal " when hormone therapy was instituted. In 10 the liver was enlarged, 2 had cerebral metastases, 13 had skeletal deposits and 24 had pulmonary or mediastinal lesions. Six men and 2 women had marked regression of their tumours and

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This report describes an investigation designed to compare vaccination with B.C.G. and vole bacillus vaccines, and records the preliminary results after one and two years. The B.C.G. was given in the routine intradermal manner and the vole vaccine by multiple puncture to those of 5 years and over and intradermally to those under 5 years. Vaccination by the multiplepuncture method is probably slower than by intradermal injection, but it is considered to be the method of choice and is simpler and more certain in young children. The rate of conversion after vole vaccination is a little slower than after B.C.G., but the percentages-95% after six weeks and 100% after twelve weeksare very satisfactory, and compare closely with those obtained with B.C.G. We believe that vaccination with vole bacillus has certain advantages because of the milder clinical course and the smaller rate of reversions. The periodic surveys showed that induration developed in a substantial proportion of the cases receiving vole vaccine by the multiple-puncture method, and that, later, lupoid reactions occurred in the vaccination area. These later complications were noted in 5% and 15% of the cases inspected after the first and second years. The discovery of lupoid reactions at the second yearly inspection in arms regarded as healed at the first yearly inspection was unexpected and unfortunate, and we regard the rate of these reactions to be too high to permit of the routine use of the vaccine until these difficulties have been overcome. We are indebted to the Council of Management of the Orphan Homes of Scotland for permission to carry out the investigation;

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