Ethanol injection therapy in RBT—1 carcinoma of the rat liver evokes enhancement of metastasis

Abstract

To search for possible untoward effects of ethanol injection into a malignant tumor, a series of experiments was carried out using the model of RBT‐1 carcinoma. Ten days after the inoculation of RBT‐1 carcinoma into the rat liver, the animals were separated into three groups: Group A, ethanol injection during relaparotomy; group B, physiological saline injection during relaparotomy; and group C, relaparotomy alone without ethanol injection. Twenty minutes after these procedures, the tumor was surgically removed and histologically examined. The incidence of vascular permeation of liver tumor cells into the hepatic vein was significantly higher in groups A and B (P < 0.05). On the 10th day after relaparotomy, the number of metastatic nodules in the lungs was significantly increased in groups A and B, compared to the findings in group C (P < 0.05). Regarding the survival time of rats after relaparotomy, there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups. These results are taken to mean that ethanol injection into a tumor may enhance metastasis.