Radiol Oncol 1997; 31:291-7. Interstitial fluid pressure as an obstacle in treatment of solid tumors Jani Puscnjak and Damijan Miklavcic University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Ljubljana, Slovenia Over the past decades a development of different anticancer drugs has increased and brought many progressive agents that showed high level of efficiency in in vitro conditions. Unfortunately these drugs failed in solid tumor treatment in in vivo conditions because of inadequate uptake and nonoptimal distribution in tumors. Although tumors have higher permeability and hydraulic conductivity of the vessels than normal tissue, the extravasation of the drug molecules from vessels into the tumor interstilium is reduced due to elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP). This property also impedes the transport of the molecules through the interstitial space. Furthermore, IFP is uniformly high in the center of the tumor and declines to the value of the normal tissue at the rim of the tumor. Though, IFP gradient causes fluid flow which "washes" drugs out of the tumor to its periphery where it is reabsorbed by the lymphatic system or normal vasculature. Measurements of tumor IFP demonstrated that its values can reach 2600 Pa up to 6600 Pa whereas in the normal tissue it is below the atmospheric pressure (from -133 Pa to -798 Pa in s.c. and approximately -346 Pa in muscle). The most frequently used methods for instant and direct IFP measurement are: wick-in-needle technique (WIN) and micropuncture technique (MP). Since the reduction of the elevated tumor IFP could facilitate drug uptake and anti-tumor treatment, many approaches have been tested. In present paper we represent the results of two physical (hyperthermia, radiation) and one chemical (vasoactive agents) approach that other authors used for IFP reduction. Key words: neoplasms-therapy; extracellular space; manometry Introduction A high level of drug development techniques, especially genetic engineering, has produced many novel drugs for cancer detection and treatment.U-1 The first step in the development of such a drug is in vitro testing and many agents showed a very high degree of anti-cancer effectiveness. This stimulated the use of low-molecular-weight conventional drugs, monoclonal antibodies, growth factors, biological response modifiers, immunotoxins, lym- Correspondence to: Prof. Damijan Mikiavčie, D.Sc., University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Tržaška 25, SI - 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia. Tel: +386 61 1768 456, Fax; +386 61 1264 658, E-mail: dami-jan@svarun.fe.uni-lj.si UDC: 616-006.6-008.818-08 phokine activated killer cells, tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, and others in in vitro conditions.2 Although they succeeded in the treatment of leukemi-as and lymphomas they had a minimal effect on solid tumors (breast, colon, lung, ,..)P The main reason for their limited effectiveness is inadequate and nonuniform distribution of drug molecules or cells in tumors.2"5 Since cellular factors, such as heterogeneity of tumor-associated antigens and inherent or acquired tumor resistance can not explain this problem, physiological factors have to be concerned.2 To complete its mission, molecule of the blood-borne anticancer drug must travel via blood stream to the tumor. Further it must extravasate across the microvessel wall into tumor interstilium, where it must disperse uniformly in the tumor in order to reach each tumor cell. All of these steps 292 Pušenjak J and Miklavčič D are not present in in vitro experiments so each of these physiological factors could be the reason for the ineffectiveness of anticancer drug.23 The role of interstitial fluid pressure in transport of molecules through microvessel wall and tumor interstitial space As tumor cells proliferate into the host tissue, tumor angiogenesis leads to the formation of a new, tumor vasculature.2,15 Although the tumor microcirculation originates from the normal host vasculature, its organization may be completely different and vary from day to day and from one location to another. Vessels in tumor are, compared to vessels in normal tissue, more dilated, sacular and tortuous. They can also contain tumor cells within the endothelial lining of the vessel wall. Furthermore, tumor microvessels have wider intercellular junctions and discontinuous or absent basement membrane. Another difference between the normal and the tumor vasculature is that the latter has a large number of fenestrae and blood channels which are not lined with endothelial cells.2,7 H Figure 1. Irregular tumor supplying vasculature of s.c. solid LPB tumor in nude mice (arrows). The extravasation of the blood-borne molecule that has reached the tumor vasculature is governed by diffusion and convection. The diffusion is a movement of the solute in the medium from an area with high concentration to an area with low concentration and is the primary way of transport for low-molecular-weight hydrophilic and lipophilic molecules. The diffusion is proportional to the concentration gradient and exchange vessel area. The proportionality constant that relates transluminal flux to the concentration gradient is the vascular permeability.2'7 The convection on the other hand is a way of molecular transport by a stream of fluid. It is proportional to the difference between the vascular and the interstitial hydrostatic pressures minus the difference between the vascular and the interstitial osmotic pressures and also the exchange vessel area. Constants that relate fluid leakage to the pressure gradients are hydraulic conductivity for hydrostatic pressure difference and reflection coefficient for osmotic pressure difference. The equation that describes the solute flow across the vessel wall due to diffusion is:7 Js = P x A x (cv-c.) where: Js is the flow of solute (moles/s or g/s); P is the vessel permeability (m/s); A is the surface area of the vessel (m2); and cv and a are the concentration within vessels and interstitial concentration of solute, respectively (moles/m3 or g/m3). The fluid flow across the vessel wall is given by:7 J, = L xAx[ (pv-p.) - o x (jrv-jr.) ] where: Jf is the volume flow of fluid (m3/s); Lp is the hydraulic conductivity (filtration coefficient) of the vessel (m/Paxs); A is the surface area (m2); pv and p. are the vascular and interstitial fluid pessures (Pa); ?rv and jr. are the colloid-osmotic pressures in vessel and interstitial fluid (Pa); and a is the osmotic reflection coefficient. In the presence of convection and diffusion the total solute flow is given by the Staverman-Kadem-Katchalsky equation:7 Jv = P x A x (c^c,) + Jr x ( 1 -<7F) x Aclm where: ffF is the solvent-drag reflection coefficient; and Ac|m is the log-mean concentration within the pore. For larger molecules the convection is the basic and a faster way of transport, although they also travel by diffusion.23'7 Characteristics of tumor vessels described above suggest that they should have a relatively high vascular permeability and hydraulic conductivity. Various studies measuring tissue uptake confirmed that hypothesis.2'7 Nevertheless, the extravasation of anticancer agents in solid tumors is poor. The main reasons are that, tumor does not create its own functioning lymphatic system, therefore, the excess fluid collects in the tumor interstitium and that tumor cells proliferate in the relatively limited, noncompliant space. These tumor properties cause increase of the interstitial fluid pressure (IFP). The elevated IFP hinders the convection across the vessel wall, because there is Interslital fluid pressure as an obstacle in treatment of solid tumors 293 no difference between the vascular and the interstitial pressure.MJ First it was assumed that the increased IFP causes the vessel occlusion in tumor, since IFP is higher than microvascular pressure (MVP). MVP relates to pressure in vessels with diameter 25 and 250 /(m.w This hypothesis, however, failed to explain why a convection in the opposite way did not occur, i.e. fluid flow from intersti-tium into vessel. In addition, tumor vessels are very perfusive and though represent no resistance to the IFP.7'8 Boucher and Jain demonstrated that MVP is increased and equal to IFP, furthermore, they assumed that MVP is the principal driving force for the elevated IFP.S The reasons for the observed increased MVP may be an increase in viscous and/ or geometric resistance in the venous side of tumor circulation and that arterioles become less effective in controlling MVP.8 Later they found out that the relationship between these two factors varies from one tumor to another.9 Another aspect in nonadequate anticancer agent uptake in tumor is the heterogeneity of the tumor vasculature. In general, solid tumors have three different regions: necrotic zone, semi-necrotic zone and well vascularized zone.2 In necrotic and semi-necrotic zone there is no or very little blood supply and hence no extravasation of anticancer drug takes place. Tumor blood flow in these areas is also low compared to blood flow in normal tissue, whereas in well perfused zone (usually at the tumor periphery) tumor blood flow may be higher than that in normal tissue.2 The increase of intercapillary distance and the decrease of vascular surface area also accompanies tumor vascular heterogeneity. In addition, the reduction of tumor blood flow restricts the extravasation of molecules even more.2 If the anticancer drug reaches tumor interstitium, it must uniformly distribute through it in order to reach and destroy each tumor cell.1"5 The transport of the molecule in the tumor interstitium is also governed by diffusion and convection, only here the diffusive and the convective flow are proportional to gradients instead of differences in concentration and pressure, respectively. Proportional constants are the diffusion coefficient and the hydraulic conductivity. One-dimensional transport by the diffusion in a medium is given by Fick's law:4 J„ = -D x (3C/3x) where: JD is the diffusive flow of the solute per unit area normal to the surface (moles/sxm2 or g/sxm2); D is the diffusion coefficient of the solute in the medium (m2/s), and 3C/