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Toxicity of 5-fluorouracil for aerobic and hypoxic cells in two murine tumours

  • Original Articles
  • 5-Fluorouracil, Hypoxic Cells, Murine Tumours
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Summary

Chronically hypoxic cells in solid tumours are reported to be more slowly proliferating than aerobic cells situated closer to blood vessels. Cycle-active drugs such as 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) might be expected to have greater activity against rapidly proliferating aerobic cells. The effect of 5-FU was therefore assessed against aerobic and hypoxic cells in murine tumours; this was done by giving the drug alone or 1 h before irradiation of the tumour under aerobic or hypoxic conditions. Aerobic and hypoxic cells appeared to have equal sensitivity to 5-FU in the KHT and 16/C tumours, and the effect of a single dose of 5-FU was additive to that of radiation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine and Medical Biophysics, Ontario Cancer Institute and University of Toronto, 500 Sherbourne Street, M4X, 1K9, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Ian F. Tannock

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  1. Ian F. Tannock
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Supported by a research grant from the National Cancer Institute of Canada and by grant CA 36913 from the National Cancer Institute, NIH, USA

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Tannock, I.F. Toxicity of 5-fluorouracil for aerobic and hypoxic cells in two murine tumours. Cancer Chemother. Pharmacol. 19, 53–56 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00296256

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00296256

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