Experimental studies of factors influencing hepatic metastases. V. Effect of cortisone and adrenalectomy.

The incidence of hepatic metastases in rats subjected to intraportal injection of 5,000 Walker 256 carcinosarcoma cells was similar in rats receiving cortisone and their pair-fed controls. This result was obtained whether cortisone was given prior to, after, or preceding and following the injection of tumor cells. Both cortisone-treated and pair fed control rats exhibited significantly fewer metastases than did controls allowed food ad libitum and demonstrating a gain in body weight. The number of inetastatic lesions in each positive instance was similar in each group. The relationship of these findings to liver composition following cortisone administration is discussed. The increase of hepat ic glycogen in cortisone-treated rats (when compared with pair-fed controls) was appar ently without effect on the incidence of such metastases. Adrenalectomy similarly failed to influence the incidence of hepatic metastases as compared with that observed in controls. The increased incidence of hepatic metastases observed following hepatic manipulation was not dependent upon intact adrenals. It was concluded that adrenal function played little specific role in the development of hepatic metastases in the experimental model employed.