Combined administration of aureomycin and nitrogen mustard. II. Effects of the intra-arterial administration on human cancer

Abstract

of R methylbis(2-chloroethyl)an$ne hydrochloride (HN2) has been found to produce on certain cancers therapciitic effects that could not be achieved by intravenous administration. 3, 7, 10, 11 However, serious systemic infection occurred in several patients who were given daily doses of H N 2 through an indwelling arterial cannula.15 T h e likely source of intection in these cases was either the arterial cannula tract or the devitalized tumor tissue. To prevent development of such systemic infection, prophylactic use of a broad-spectrum antibiotic such as aureomycin8 was considered desirable. T h e indwelling cannula offered a n easily available and safe3 route of administration of aureoniycin hydrochloride buffered with sodium glycinate (buffered aureoniycin). Furthermore, the reports that high concentrations of aureomycin affected rapidly dividing cells in tissue culture," in plants,14 and in animal tumorsl:{ suggested that this drug might also be a cancer chemotherapeutic agent. This was further supported by the observation that simultaneous exposure of cells in tissue culture to HN2 and buffered aureoniycin was more cytotoxic than exposure to the same concentration of either drug alone.3 For these reasons, H N 2 and buffered aureomycin were administered intra-arterially to each one of a group of patients with hopeless cancer.