Transmurally absorbed intravesical chemotherapy with dimethylsulfoxide in an animal model.

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) enhances the absorbtion of the intravesical chemotherapeutics. Fifty male Wistar rats received 1.5 mg N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) intravesically every other week (weeks 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8) for a total of five doses. After week 14, rats underwent intravesical installation of either epirubicin (1 mg) or epirubicin + DMSO (50%) every other week (weeks 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22). The absorbtion of epirubicin was estimated histologically by observing its fluorescence in the bladder. We observed papiller and/or hyperplastic formations in rat bladders (10/50 rats) due to installation of MNU. Epirubicin fluorescence was observed in the entire bladder wall of normal or hyperplastic regions in rats that were given DMSO prior to epirubicin. However, epirubicin was observed only in normal-appearing mucosa or in superficial layers of hyperplastic regions. The concomittant addition of DMSO with intravesical epirubicin enhances the absorbtion of epirubicin to the entire bladder wall. In this way, epirubicin cytotoxicity and antitumor activity can be potentiated. This can be useful for both the treatment of superficial bladder cancer (especially in local recurrence and progression) and invasive bladder cancer (especially in regional chemotherapy).