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Annals of Oncology 10:S29-S33, 1999
© 1999 European Society for Medical Oncology

Tirapazamine: A new drug producing tumor specific enhancement of platinum-based chemotherapy in non-small-cell lung cancer

B. G. Wouters, L.-H. Wang and J. Martin Brown

Cancer Biology Research Laboratory, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, CA, USA

Correspondence to: J. Martin Brown, PhD, Cancer Biology Research Laboratory GK103, Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, CA 94305-5468, USA, E-mail: mbrown{at}leland.stanford.edu

Background: Tirapazamine (TPZ), a new anti-cancer drug activated to a toxic free radical under hypoxic conditions, produces a tumor specific potentiation of cell kill by cisplatin. In the present study we discuss the mechanism and clinical potential of this effect, as well as investigate the influence of p53 mutations on the activity of TPZ.

Materials and methods: For in vitro experiments we have used mouse SCCVII tumor cells, minimally transformed mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs) from wild-type and p53 knockout mice, and several human NSCLC cell lines. For in vivo experiments we have used RIF-1 tumors implanted subcutaneously into C3H mice.

Results: Prior injection of TPZ into tumor-bearing mice markedly potentiated tumor cell kill by cisplatin, but produced no effect on systemic toxicity. The maximum potentiation occurred when TPZ was injected two to three hours prior to cisplatin administration. Experiments performed with cells in vitro showed a similar synergistic interaction between the two drugs when cells were exposed to TPZ under hypoxic conditions prior to exposure to cisplatin. Experiments with MEFs from either p53 wild-type or p53-knockout mice showed no influence of p53 on the sensitivity of cells to killing by TPZ under hypoxia. A similar lack of influence of p53 on the toxicity to TPZ was obtained for a panel of NSCLC cell lines.

Conclusions: TPZ is a novel anticancer drug that produces tumor selective potentiation of cisplatin and carboplatin in both pre-clinical and clinical studies. The fact that the drug produces no potentiation of the systemic side effects of these drugs, or of other anticancer drugs used in combination with platinum in NSCLC, suggests that TPZ could become a useful agent in the treatment of lung cancer.

carboplatin, cisplatin, hypoxia, NSCLC, p53, tirapazamine


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