METHOD OF TREATING CANCER

Abstract

There is provided with a method of treating cancer. A set of administration of a compound represented by General Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a patient, at a dose such that 8 mg/kg or less of the compound represented by General Formula (I) is administered, and irradiation to the patient immediately following the administration is repeated. A total dosage of the irradiation to a cancer is 10 Gy or more.

Claims

1. A method of treating cancer comprising repeating a set of administration of a compound represented by General Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a patient, at a dose such that 8 mg/kg or less of the compound represented by General Formula (I) is administered, and irradiation to the patient immediately following the administration: ##STR00003## where R.sup.1 is an acyl residue from fatty acid, wherein a total dosage of the irradiation to a cancer is 10 Gy or more.

2. A method of treating cancer comprising repeating a set of administration of a compound represented by General Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a patient and irradiation to the patient immediately following the administration: ##STR00004## where R.sup.1 is an acyl residue from fatty acid, wherein a total dosage of the irradiation to a cancer is 10 Gy or more.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising repeating the set at a frequency of once or less a day and once or more a month.

4. A method of treating cancer comprising administration of a compound represented by General Formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof to a patient, at a dose such that 8 mg/kg or less of the compound represented by General Formula (I) is administered: ##STR00005## where R.sup.1 is an acyl residue from fatty acid.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the patient is a dog or a cat.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cancer is melanoma or lymphoma.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cancer is adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dose is such that the 0.5 mg/kg or more of the compound represented by General Formula (I) is administered:

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein R.sup.1 is a stearoyl group.

Description

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0038] A dog suffered from oral melanoma on the left upper jaw was subjected to radiation treatment combined with a radiosensitizing agent once a week (four times in total). A compound A was used as the radiosensitizing agent. The compound A is an a anomer compound (aSQAP C18:0) that includes CO(CH.sub.2).sub.16CH.sub.3 (stearoyl group: acyl residue from stearic acid) as R.sup.1 in Formula (I).

[0039] One cycle of the radiation treatment was performed as follows. First, the compound A was intravenously administered at a dose of 8 mg/kg over 5 minutes. Then, the tumor was immediately irradiated with radiation (X rays, 6 MV) at a dose of 7.5 Gy.

[0040] It was confirmed that the tumor volume was reduced to 49% due to the 4 cycles of the radiation treatment combined with the radiosensitizing agent.

Example 2

[0041] A dog that had been suffered from nasal cavity adenocarcinoma was subjected to radiation treatment combined with a radiosensitizing agent once a day (four times in total) in order to treat nasal cavity adenocarcinoma recurring 2 years and 1 month after the tumor excision operation. The compound A described above was used as the radiosensitizing agent. One cycle of the radiation treatment was performed as follows. First, the compound A was intravenously administered at a dose of 8 mg/kg, and then the tumor was immediately irradiated with radiation (X rays, 6 MV) at a dose of 4.5 Gy.

[0042] Although the tumor size was not evaluated, the patient survived for 1 year and 4 months after the radiation treatment. It should be noted that the cause of death was gastric carcinoma.

Example 3

[0043] A cat suffered from lymphoma in the left nasal cavity was subjected to radiation treatment once a week (six times in total). In one cycle of the radiation treatment, radiation (X rays, 4 MV) was applied at a dose of 5.5 Gy. However, an effect of reducing the tumor size was not exhibited. On the contrary, an increase in tumor size was confirmed despite the radiation treatment, and swelling of the glabella region was observed.

[0044] Accordingly, after the above-mentioned radiation treatment, radiation treatment combined with a radiosensitizing agent was performed once a week (three times in total). The compound A described above was used as the radiosensitizing agent. One cycle of the radiation treatment was performed as follows. First, the compound A was intravenously administered at a dose of 4 mg/kg over 1 minute. The tumor was irradiated with radiation (X rays, 4 MV) at a dose of 4 Gy 15 minutes after the administration of the compound A.

[0045] Before the second cycle of the radiation treatment combined with the radiosensitizing agent, it was observed that the swelling of the glabella region was reduced, and thus the facial appearance recovered. Also, it was observed that the tumor that had infiltrated into the left nasal cavity and the eye orbit was significantly reduced in size even 1 month after the third cycle of the radiation treatment combined with the radiosensitizing agent, and the tumor volume was reduced to 10% of that prior to the start of the radiation treatment combined with the radiosensitizing agent.

Example 4

[0046] Twenty-two dogs suffered from nasal cavity adenocarcinoma were divided into a radiosensitizing-agent administration group (11 dogs) and a non-administration group (11 dogs), and a control test of radiation treatment combined with a radiosensitizing agent was performed.

[0047] The radiosensitizing-agent administration group was subjected to radiation treatment combined with a radiosensitizing agent once a week (six times in total). The compound A described above was used as the radiosensitizing agent. One cycle of the radiation treatment was performed as follows. First, the compound A was intravenously administered at a dose of 4 mg/kg over 1 minute. The tumor was irradiated with radiation (X rays, 4 MV) at a dose of 6 Gy 15 minutes after the administration of the compound A.

[0048] The radiosensitizing-agent non-administration group was subjected to radiation treatment that was not combined with a radiosensitizing agent once a week (six times in total). In one cycle of the radiation treatment, the tumor was irradiated with radiation (X rays, 4 MV) at a dose of 6 Gy.

[0049] As a result, in the radiosensitizing-agent administration group, the tumor volume was reduced to 30% on the average after the radiation treatment. Moreover, the effect of reducing the tumor size exhibited in the radiosensitizing-agent administration group was significantly higher than that in the non-administration group (P=0.0205).

Example 5

[0050] A cat suffered from recurrent oral squamous cell carcinoma was subjected to radiation treatment combined with a radiosensitizing agent three times in total. The compound A described above was used as the radiosensitizing agent. In one cycle of the radiation treatment, first, the compound A was intravenously administered at a dose of 1 mg/kg, and then the tumor was immediately irradiated with radiation (X rays, 4 MV). The total dosage of radiation was 21 Gy.

[0051] It was confirmed that the tumor was eliminated due to the radiation treatment combined with the radiosensitizing agent. It was confirmed that the state in which the tumor was eliminated was still maintained even 3 months after the end of the treatment.

Example 6

[0052] A cat suffered from squamous cell carcinoma on the left upper jaw was subjected to radiation treatment combined with a radiosensitizing agent five times in total. The compound A described above was used as the radiosensitizing agent. In one cycle of the radiation treatment, first, the compound A was intravenously administered at a dose of 2 to 4 mg/kg, and then the tumor was immediately irradiated with radiation (X rays, 6 MV). The total dosage of radiation was 32.5 Gy (7.5 Gy×3 and 5 Gy×2).

[0053] It was confirmed that the tumor on the left upper jaw was eliminated due to the radiation treatment combined with the radiosensitizing agent. It was confirmed that the state in which the tumor on the left upper jaw was eliminated was still maintained even 5 months after the end of the treatment.

[0054] It was confirmed from the results of the examples above that the radiation treatment combined with the radiosensitizing agent exhibited the significant effect of reducing the size of or eliminating cancer developed in the body of a patient.

[0055] The invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, and various variations/changes are possible within the spirit of the invention.