Figure 5. High Taxol concentrations dramatically reduce tumour number and size in benign and invasive mouse models of intestinal cancer.

Cohorts of APC^MIN/+ mice (45 days of age, n≥16) were treated every 2 weeks with either 10, 20mg/kg Taxol or vehicle until they reached 100 days of age. The most efficient treatment, 20mg/kg, was then increased to 3 injections a week every other week (Txl 20 x3). The same regime was used in an invasive model of tumourigenesis using Cre⁺ APC^fl/+ PTEN ^fl/fl mice. Mice started treatment 2 weeks after induction and were sacrificed at 60 days post-induction. (a) Tumour number is not decreased in APC^MIN/+ mice treated with Taxol 10mg/kg once every 2 weeks (p=0.48). (b) Taxol 20mg/kg treatment (once every 2 weeks) reduces significantly the number of tumours in APC^MIN/+ (p=0.0007). (c) Taxol 20mg/kg administered 3 times a week every 2 weeks further reduces the number of tumours in APC^MIN/+ (p=0.0001). (d) All Taxol regimes reduce the average tumour size in APC^MIN/+ mice. Vehicle versus 10/mg/kg p=0.015, vehicle versus 20mg/kg p≤0.006. (e) Taxol reduces tumour number in Cre⁺ APC^fl/+ PTEN ^fl/fl mice, p=0.001.