Prevention of Carcinogenicity of Anticancer Drugs by Metal loth i»nei n Induction1

We examined the efficacy of metallothionein induction in the prevention of the carcinogenic action of ci'.v-platiimin and melphalan administered repeatedly to mice over a relatively long period. The increased pulmonary metallothionein induced by bismuth or zinc compounds during the period of chemotherapy with (-/¿-platinumor melphalan protected the mice from carcinogenesis of these drugs in the lung. These results suggested the efficacy of metallothionein ¡mincersin suppression of Carcinogenicity con sidered as a secondary effect of anticancer agents in cancer chemotherapy.