Experiments were performed in order to evaluate the effects of alprazolam (I mg/kg s.c.), a central benzodiazepine agonist anxiolytic, on the development of lung metastases in rats subjected to laparotomy and injected (i.v.) with 10(4) Walker 256 (W-256) carcinosarcoma cells. The number of metastatic nodules on the surface of the lungs, as well as the percentage-area of metastases in the frontal section through pulmonary hilus were increased in rats subjected to sham-surgery or laparotomy. Treatment with alprazolam partially reversed those adverse effects of surgery, but the difference was clearer when it was administered before surgery was performed. Survival periods were also assessed and alprazolam was found to decrease the lethality of rats exposed to surgery. Pretreatment with Ro 15-1788, a central benzodiazepine antagonist, suppressed the inhibitory effects of alprazolam on tumor growth.

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