The influence of postoperative chemotherapy with bleomycin, methotrexate and vincristine on the outgrowth of nerve axons after microsurgical nerve reconstruction. An experimental study.
Surgical therapy of epidermoid carcinoma of the maxillo-facial region often makes it necessary to sever important nerves (accessory, facial, mandibular). Microsurgical technique has made it possible to restore this damaged function by nerve transplantation. On the other hand, postoperative anticancer chemotherapy may inhibit axonal outgrowth after such transplantation procedure and thereby destroy the functional restoration. A single course of bleomycin, methotrexate and vincristine therapy in rats with previously created sciatic nerve anastomoses caused only a delay of axonal outgrowth in the case of vincristine therapy. The other two drugs showed no similar effect. From this it follows that postoperative chemotherapy does not definitely compromise the result of nerve restoration in connection with tumour resection.
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D001761:Bleomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008727:Methotrexate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008866:Microsurgery; D009186:Myelin Sheath / Q000187:drug effects; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D051381:Rats; D012584:Sciatic Nerve / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery; D014750:Vincristine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014945:Wound Healing
D001761:Bleomycin; D014750:Vincristine; D008727:Methotrexate