Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation - Blog Science Connections

Intensification Regimens for
Autologous Bone Marrow Transplantation
Emil Frei III, Carol A Cucchi, and Beverly Teicher
Intensification chemotherapy and total body radiotherapy have been curative
for some patients with hematologic malignancies; accordingly, they are
under increasing study for these diseases and also, more recently, for solid
tumors. The construct of intensification regimens has been largely empirical
and provides a major challenge to progress in autologous bone marrow
transplantation. In this chapter we discuss the development and study of
preclinical models designed to provide information that will help us to
construct such intensification regimens to treat human cancers.
IN VIVO MODEL
Quantitative models of dose intensification into the range required for
marrow transplantation have been limited. A relevant method is presented in
Figure 1. Inbred mice bearing a measurable transplanted tumor are treated
with a single injection of a given drug with a dose ranging upward from the
LD 1 0
. Since toxicity and death from most antitumor agents are delayed,
excision of the tumor at 24 hours for quantitative study is possible. Important
aspects of the physiologic pharmacology have been completed by 24 hours,
and intracellular events will continue to occur whether the tumor is left in
place or excised for quantitation. The excised tumor may be analyzed by in
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