title: Tumor regression of advanced carcinomas following intra- and/or peri-tumoral inoculation with VRCTC-310 in humans: preliminary report of two cases.
abstract: The authors report their clinical experience with VRCTC-310 in two patients suffering with advanced cancer in which the skin was severely compromised. VRCTC-310 is a combination of the snake venoms crotoxin (CT) and cardiotoxin (CD). The local (peritumoral) treatment with the drug (0.O14 mg/kg/week during 6 weeks) provoked the complete disappearance of a relapsed skin squamous cell cancer in one patient. The other patient was an aged woman with local-advanced breast cancer (carcinoma en cuirasse) who was inoculated intra-and-peritumoral with VRCTC-310. After 6 weekly courses (0.014 mg/kg/week) with the drug a > 80% tumor reduction was seen. A 133 days follow-up demonstrated not only an objective complete response of the primary tumor mass, but the disappearance of supraclavicular tumor mass as well a significant reduction in lymphangitis. To our knowledge, this is the first communication about the in vivo antitumoral activity of VRCTC-310 when injected locally to humans. Further studies are now in progress.
authors.affiliation: Oncology Unit, Hospital Vicente López, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miles
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Araujo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: V G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Villarrubia
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004179:Cobra Cardiotoxin Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003439:Crotoxin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004179:Cobra Cardiotoxin Proteins; D004338:Drug Combinations; C084936:cardiotoxin, crotoxin drug combination; D003439:Crotoxin