Animal experiments remain essential to understand the fundamental mechanisms underpinning malignancy and to discover improved methods to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Excellent standards of animal care are fully consistent with the conduct of high quality cancer research. Here we provide updated guidelines on the welfare and use of animals in cancer research. All experiments should incorporate the 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement. Focusing on animal welfare, we present recommendations on all aspects of cancer research, including: study design, statistics and pilot studies; choice of tumour models (e.g., genetically engineered, orthotopic and metastatic); therapy (including drugs and radiation); imaging (covering techniques, anaesthesia and restraint); humane endpoints (including tumour burden and site); and publication of best practice.

Mitosenes of both the pyrrolo- and pyrido[1,2-a]indole type have been prepared via modification of these heterotricyclic compounds. Several mitosenes have been studied for their reactions with nucleophiles under reductive conditions. The results of these experiments show that the biological activity of mitosenes is based on the mechanism of bioreductive activation. When both leaving groups at C-1 and C-10 in the mitosene are the same, the nucleophile preferably adds to C-10 under reductive conditions. All mitosenes were studied for their biological activities in vitro against L1210, WiDr, and A204. On the basis of these results a selection of three mitosenes was made for a more detailed biological evaluation. Several tumor model systems were used, viz. P388, human tumor xenografts, MAC 13, and MAC 16. The results of these studies show that mitosenes have a more limited range of activities than mitomycin C. Surprisingly, the in vivo activities of mitosene diol 8b and mitosene diacetate 10b against the gastric human tumor xenograft GXF 97 were very high and comparable with that of mitomycin C.

Flavone acetic acid (FAA) is active against normally refractory murine sc tumors. Clinical studies are disappointing despite achievement of plasma profiles associated with the antitumor murine activity in man. To clarify the mechanism of action, we have followed histologic changes, tumor blood volume, and drug concentrations in a well-differentiated, slow-growing cystic adenocarcinoma in mice. FAA causes massive tumor necrosis beginning 2 hours after treatment. Tumor plasma volumes are reduced by 2 hours after treatment and tumor blood vessels are shutdown, which suggests that tumor vasculature plays a role in the dramatic response of sc tumors in pure-strain male NMRI mice.

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Summary 5.6-Dimethylxanthenone4-acetic acid (5.6-MeXAA) is a fused tricyclic analogue of flavone acetic acid (FAA) which was developed in an attempt to improve on the activity of FAA. Previous studies have shown 5.6-MeXAA to be curative in 80% of mice bearing colon 38 tumours and 12 times more dose potent than FAA. This investigation has demonstrated that a murine colon tumour cell line (MAC1SA) is approximately 60 times more sensitive to 5.6-MeXAA than to FAA. although these differences were not seen in three human cell lines tested. 5,6-MeXAA caused significant blood flow shutdown and haemorrhagic necrosis in subcutaneous MAC15A tumours in syngeneic and nude hosts. but measurable changes in tumour volume were seen only in syngeneic hosts. 5,6-MeXAA was inactive against intraperitoneal MACISA but produced significant anti-tumour effects against the same cell line inoculated via an intravenous route. FAA has been shown previously to be inactive in this model. Interestingly, the effects against lung colonies were not accompanied by obvious necrotic changes, suggesting that they may be the result of increased direct cytotoxicity rather than an indirect host mechanism. Further studies to investigate the effects against systemic tumour deposits are under way.