The Action of Pteroylglutamic Conjugates on Man

Abstract

Certain sub-stances of the glutamic series were tested on patients with advanced neoplastic diseases. Pteroyltriglutamic acid (PTGA) and pteroyldiglutamic acid (PDGA) were given intramusc. (20 mg. daily) for 1 wk., after which the dose was raised to 50 mg./day for 2-3 wks. more. Each substance was dissolved in 1-8 ml. of saline for intramusc. or intraven. use. Neither substance produced any reaction after intraven. injn. No important local reactions followed intramusc. injn. of PTGA. Moderate local reactions occurred in many of the patients receiving PDGA. There have been no systemic or allergic reactions. In 13 of the initial 90 patients, postmortem studies were made. No tissue changes of a harmful nature which could be ascribed to the treatment could be found. In general, the patients showed improvement following treatment. The changes were not constant but have occurred frequently enough to warrant further studies on the action of these compds. on patients with cancer. The changes have included decrease in the size of multiple subcutaneous nodules of an amelanotic carcinoma, decrease in size of metas-tases to the lung from a carcinoma of the testis, degeneration and necrosis of tumors, and reduction to normal of the blood acid phosphatase level in a patient with multiple metas-tases to bone from a prostate carcinoma.