title: Comparison of the antitumor effects of a synthetic biopolymer and standard adjuvants.
abstract: The synthetic biopolymer NED 137 is capable of stimulating an immune response to tumor antigen. This article compares the efficacy of NED 137 to bacille Calmette-Guerin, Corynebacterium parvum, pyran, levamisole, and Freund's complete adjuvant in a rat tumor model where adjuvant treatment is administered after excision of subcutaneous tumor implants. A single intraperitoneal injection of NED 137 at 30 mg/kg body weight prolonged survival beyond 60 days with no evidence of recurrent or metastatic disease, whereas with the other adjuvants, animals survived a mean of 30 to 40 days with 100% local recurrence and a 60% to 90% incidence of pulmonary metastases. Use of NED 137 resulted in a greater lysis of tumor cells compared to other adjuvants when assessed in an in vivo 51Cr release assay. A phase I clinical study of high-risk gastrointestinal cancer patients treated with NED 137 is reported at a median survival time of 23 weeks (103 patients). This group is compared to a historical control group from the same institution. No NED 137-related toxicity has been noted to date.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation / Q000187:drug effects; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D005770:Gastrointestinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular / Q000187:drug effects; D007167:Immunotherapy; D008297:Male; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D011108:Polymers / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D011108:Polymers; C022084:carboxyimamidate