Rejection of mammary adenocarcinoma cell tumors and the prevention of progressive growth of incipient metastases following intratumor permeation with killed Bordetella pertussis.

rejection of the tumors in all 12 animals that was completed within 7 days. These animals exhibited resistance to s.c. reinjection of large doses of cells of the same tumor line initially used, but died with growing tumors and métastases when tumor cells of an antigenically different syngeneic line were injected. Nine of the 12 animals treated by surgical excision of the tumor nodule at Day 14 died with growing pulmonary and visceral métastases.Groups of mice treated with twice-weekly injections of killed B. pertussis 1 cm away from and around the growing tumor exhibited inhibition of rates of tumor growth and prolonged ranges of survival. Microscopic examination of histolÃ3gica! sections of tumors excised 4 days after intratumor infiltration revealed a massive infiltration of mast cells and macrophages and lymphocytes, while sections of untreated tumors rarely revealed the presence of these cells.