An experimental study of Ehrlich’s ascetic carcinoma in Swiss albino mice with chemotherapy

Abstract

Background: Ehrlich-Lettre ascites carcinoma (EAC) is also known as Ehrlich cell. It was originally established as an ascites tumor in mice. The current concept that cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents are administered at a dose to the maximum a patient can tolerate before the onset of severe and even life-threatening toxicity is still in wide clinical use. This study was conducted to evaluate the response of chemotherapy in the treatment of Ehrlich’s ascetic carcinoma. The various parameters to assess the response of various therapeutic schedules were regression of tumor by decrease in body weight of mice and decrease in abdominal girth; cell count of ascetic fluid and morphological changes of tumor cells after treatment with drugs and to study the percentage viability of the cells. Materials & Methods: A mouse bearing the tumor strain was taken from our laboratory in the Department of Pathology, IPGMER, Kolkata, where the strain was being maintained serially by inoculation of malignant cells into healthy mice every 8-10 days. In our work altogether 25 mice were taken for each set of experimental work. They were divided in four groups of 5-10 mice in each group. Results: All the mice in Group III revealed extensive metastasis with haemorrhagic ascetic fluid. About 60% mice of Group IV showed metastatic but there was no haemorrhagic fluid. None of the mice of Group IV survived beyond 35 days. Group III mice survived for a maximum of 25 days. Most of them died between 2-24 days. Conclusion: With the chemotherapy there was reduced cell count and cell viability. Actinomycin D alone produced a moderate effect on tumor cells.