Simultaneous precise chemoradiation under inhalation anesthesia in an experimental mouse tumor model.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Performing radiobiological experiments under general anesthesia is, in many cases, superior to treatment in unanesthetized animals or with intraperitoneal (i.p.) anesthesia. This is especially true for experiments where highly fractionated treatment schedules are used. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An anesthesia system was employed to overcome several of the limitations associated with the use of pentobarbital and other i.p.-administered anesthetics in experimental radiotherapy. RESULTS: Several different experiments with a total of 152 mice were performed. The total of all anesthesia exposures amounted to approximately 1,520. The duration of anesthesia ranged from 3 to 5 min per session. No complications related to the anesthetic procedure were observed. CONCLUSION: The present anesthesia/irradiation setup is a simple, safe and perfectly reproducible system where even multiple fractionated treatments can be performed under anesthesia with excellent tolerance. Our system allows easy and fast handling and immobilization and thus reduces experimental times.