New Animal Model for Studying Liver Metastases in Colon Cancer
Author Information
Author(s): Andreas Thalheimer, Christoph Otto, Marco Bueter, Bertram Illert, Stefan Gattenlohner, Martin Gasser, Detlef Meyer, Martin Fein, Christoph T Germer, Ana M Waaga-Gasser
Primary Institution: University of Wuerzburg Hospital
Hypothesis
Can intraportal injection of colon carcinoma cell lines in immunoincompetent mice create a reliable model for studying hepatic metastases and tumor cell dissemination?
Conclusion
The intraportal injection model effectively induces both hepatic metastases and tumor cell dissemination in bone marrow, making it a valuable tool for cancer research.
Supporting Evidence
- Injection of 1 × 106 cells resulted in hepatic metastases in up to 89% of animals.
- 63% of animals with hepatic metastases showed tumor cell dissemination in bone marrow.
- The model allows for the study of minimal residual disease in a controlled environment.
Takeaway
Researchers injected cancer cells into mice to see if they could create liver tumors and spread cancer cells to the bone marrow, which they successfully did.
Methodology
Immunoincompetent nude mice were injected intraportally with varying numbers of colon carcinoma cells, and the occurrence of metastases and tumor cell dissemination was assessed.
Limitations
The model showed high perioperative mortality with larger cell counts, limiting the number of cells that can be injected.
Participant Demographics
Female Balb/c nu/nu mice, aged 6 to 10 weeks.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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