MULTICELLULAR TUMOR SPHEROIDS GROWN FROM PANCREATIC-CARCINOMA CELL-LINES - USE AS AN ORTHOTOPIC XENOGRAFT IN ATHYMIC NUDE-MICE

Carcinoma of the pancreas is the fifth leading cause of cancer death, with the majority of patients presenting with unresectable disease. Re search into new adjuvant therapies is hampered by the lack of suitable in vivo and in vitro models. We have examined the potential of seven pancreatic carcinoma cell lines to grow as multicellular tumor spheroi ds (MTS). Three of seven (43%) cell lines were scored positive for MTS formation, and the growth characteristics for spheroid models of the cell lines PANC1 and MIAPaCa2 are presented. Implantation of PANC1 MTS into the pancreas of athymic nude mice produces tumors with reproduci ble growth characteristics and histology.