Cancer metastases
Invasivol fails to stop growth of tumor cells in
areas with many Ehrlich’s mouse cancer cells. Spread of cancer cells from these
locations, however, is stopped by Invasivol. Treatment with Invasivol can even
lead to the formation of a local tumor at the subcutaneous transplantation
sites in mice, while untreated mice do not get any local tumor at the injection
site, only ascites with cancer cells in peritoneum. The export of metastatic
cells from the transplantation sites in untreated mice probably reduces the
local cell number below the limit that is necessary for the tumor cells to
catch on there.
If identical cells are collocated, such as in a
tumor or in many normal organs, Invasivol will not inhibit growth. But as soon
as the cells leave a tumor and invade surrounding tissues, enter the
circulation as possible metastases, or settle in peripheral tissues, these
scattered cells will be significantly inhibited, inactivated or possibly killed
by Invasivol.
The number of subcutaneous transplanted Ehrlich’s
mouse tumor cells is probably quickly reduced since the untreated mice develop
ascites containing huge amounts of cancer cells often instead of local growth.
In Invasivol treated mice, however, tumor cells
transplanted subcutaneously do not reach the abdominal cavity or their growth
there is stopped or both. The transplanted and collocated cells in subcutaneous
tissue, however, are not killed since they are able to develop tumors at least
in sites having got enough cancer cells.
This indicates that a new biological and medical
principle is discovered, namely that the substance Invasivol specifically
inhibits the growth of single scattered cells in culture or if they are spread sufficiently
far from collocated identical cells in the body. However, collocated identical
cells are not inhibited locally by this compound. In the body other cell types
seem not to affect the effect of Invasivol on such tumor cells.
In
a growing cell clone consisting of identical cells, such as tumor cells or
immune cells, Invasivol may lose its inhibitory effect on growth when the local
collocation exceeds a certain critical value. It is believed that this happens
before the size of the tumor is as large as the follicles in the lymph nodes
which seem not to be affected by Invasivol.