Preoperative arterial infusion of
peplomycin was carried out on 15 cases of Stage I or II
cancer of the cervix, and the value of arterial infusion
chemotherapy with
peplomycin and its efficacy as a preoperative
therapy in
cervical cancer were evaluated by analysis of (1) histological changes, (2) localization of the
drug in tissue, and (3) tissue concentration of the
drug in the completely resected tissues, with the following results: The chief histological change was a regression of
cancer nests accompanied by degeneration and
necrosis of
cancer cells. This change was clearer at the head of infiltrating
cancers than at their superficial layer or center.
Peplomycin was localized with high activity at the disintegrated part of
cancer nests, i.e., its activity was closely correlated to the severity of histological change. Time-course changes in its localization suggested the vessel wall----stroma----
cancer as the route of its transport. The tissue concentration of
peplomycin was maintained high over a long time. Particularly in the portio vaginalis, the time course decline of the concentration was gentle. From the above findings, arterial infusion of
peplomycin was considered to be an effective method of
chemotherapy for
cervical cancer, and worth being tried as a preoperative
therapy too.