ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The anti-tumor properties of thalidomide or in combination with an oncolytic herpes virus (OncdSyn) was investigated in a mouse model of human breast cancer. METHODS: To determine if thalidomide could act alone, 4T1 cells were injected into Balb/c mice. Tumors were sized, and the mice were fed chow or chow-containing thalidomide. After 4 days the tumor volumes were compared. To determine if thalidomide could act with the virus, tumors of mice were injected with phosphate buffered saline (PBS), or fed thalidomide with injections of PBS, or fed thalidomide with injections of OncdSyn, or received injections of OncdSyn. RESULTS: Thalidomide alone suppressed tumor growth. The most significant treatment occurred in thalidomide-fed-OncdSyn-injected mice. Compared to PBS controls, there was a significant difference in the number of metastatic nodes in the lungs. CONCLUSIONS: Thalidomide alone delayed tumor growth, but the combination of thalidomide with OncdSyn appeared to produce the best results.
