Colchicine Inhibits Tumor Cell "Stickiness” Within Surgical Wounds

A new study suggests that perioperative treatment with colchicine might decrease the incidence of secondary tumor formation due to pressure-induced cell implantation at the site of the surgical wound.

Researchers at the John D. Dingell Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center (Detroit, MI, USA) and Wayne State University (Detroit, MI, USA) removed Co26 and Co51 colon cancer cells from one mouse, exposed them to high pressure in vitro (due to the fact that when colon cancer tumor cells are exposed to high pressure they exhibit an increased ability to stick to other cells), and then transplanted them into a second mouse that they monitored for the development of tumors at the site of the surgical wound. The researchers hypothesized that perioperative administration of colchicine, which prevents microtubule polymerization, could disrupt pressure-stimulated tumor cell adhesion to surgical wounds, and enhance tumor-free survival. The researchers found that mice treated with pressure-activated Co26 and Co51 cells from tumors preoperatively treated with colchicine in vivo displayed reduced surgical site implantation and significantly increased tumor-free survival compared with mice exposed to pressure-activated cells from tumors not pretreated with colchicine. The study was published in the August 14, 2008, issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

"Our present results suggest the possibility that cytoskeletal perturbation, whether by colchicine or by some other agent, can alter the responsiveness of malignant cells to external forces, inhibiting the subsequent adhesion of shed tumor cells, and enhancing tumor-free survival,” concluded lead author Mark Basson, M.D., Ph.D. of the departments of surgery, anesthesiology, and anatomy and cell biology. "Because epithelial tumor cells of other types, including breast and head and neck cancer also increase adhesion in response to elevated extracellular pressure, our results may also have implications for malignancies other than colon cancer.”

Colchicine is a highly poisonous natural product and secondary metabolite that disrupts axoplasmic transport in neurons. Originally extracted from plants of the genus Colchicum (Colchicum autumnale, also known as meadow saffron or autumn crocus), it was used to treat rheumatic complaints and especially gout, and was prescribed for its cathartic and emetic effects. Its present medicinal use is mainly in the treatment of gout, and can also be used as initial treatment for pericarditis and preventing recurrences of the condition.

Related Links:
John D. Dingell VA Medical Center
Wayne State University