| Cancer is considered a contraindication for osteopathic manipulative treatments, including lymphatic pump techniques (LPT). However, studies from our laboratory demonstrate that LPT improves immune surveillance, potentially enhancing protection against tumor development and metastasis. To test whether LPT reduces lung tumors, rats were injected intravenously with MADB106. Twenty-four hours following tumor injection, rats received no treatment, sham, or LPT for seven days. On day eight, lung tumors and immune cell activities were measured. LPT reduced pulmonary tumors approximately 30%, did not promote lung tumor dissemination into other tissues and increased pulmonary leukocytes. LPT may have enhanced pulmonary trafficking of leukocytes with anti-tumor activities, inhibiting lung tumor growth; however, mechanisms by which LPT reduced lung tumors are under investigation. |
