Combined Surgical and Chemotherapeutic Treatment of Fortner's Amelanotic Hamster Melanoma Amel 3

Abstract

Golden hamsters were injected subcutaneously with meianoma ceils and treated with vincaleucoblastine (VLB) after growtii of tiie tumour. The prolongation of survival time after surjiical removal of the tumour was compared with that of a non -operated, VLB -treated control group. The survival time of the operated hamsters was significantly prolonged. Although they did not show signs of tumour recurrence, 3 operated animals died from the VLB treatment. Comparing the results of both chemotherapy and combined chemotherapeutic and surgical treatment with those of experiments without cytostatic therapy, the markedly unfavourable effect of VLB on hamsters with melanomata is apparent. We suppose the immunosuppressive side-effect of VLB to be responsible for this negative result.