Effect of Arterial Infusion of Bleomycin on Esophageal Carcinoma -- An Evaluation by Nuclear Cytophotometry --

In order to determine the histological changes after a singleinfusion of bleomycin (BLM) into the aortic esophageal artery(BLM A.I.), resected specimens from 58 patients with esophagealcarcinoma (27 cases with BLM A.I., 14 untreated cases, 13 caseswith radiation therapy and four cases with combined therapyof radiation and BLM) were examined and evaluated by Feulgenmicrospectrometry for nuclear deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content.The histological changes following the BLM A.I. were characterizedby degeneration and necrosis at the front of the invading carcinomatissue accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration with foreignbody giant cells and fibrosis. In comparison with untreatedcases, BLM-treated cases showed an increase in nuclear DNA contentand a wide dispersion of the DNA values especially at the perinecroticarea and at the front of advancing carcinoma nests. Therefore,a histological effect of the BLM A.I. was shown by the measurementof the nuclear DNA content of carcinoma cells.