Background: Fluvastain (Flu) is widely accepted to have anticancer effect although its in vivo chemopreventive ability in cancer has not been studied. The therapeutic and chemopreventive effects of Flu were compared in vivo in the present study.
Materials and methods: Under the left renal capsule of FLF1 hybrid rats 10(6) hepatocarcinoma cells were implanted (He/De14) on sponge disc. The differences in net weight between the left and right kidneys were determined as tumor weights. Flu was administered per os in 0.5, 2 and 20 mg/kg/day doses.
Results: The 21-day pretreatment before tumor implantation with Flu had no effect on tumor development in the absence of Flu treatment after the implantation. The addition of Flu before and after tumor implantation demonstrated a more intensive anticancer effect than in the case of treatment given only after tumor implantation.
Conclusion: Flu has in 0.5-20 mg/kg/day doses a therapeutic and also a preventive effect on hepatocarcinoma growth in rats depending on the type of administration.