XENOGRAFT MODEL SYSTEMS FOR HUMAN-MELANOMA

Human melanoma cells inoculated intradermally into congenitally immune -deficient mice initiate angiogenesis and give rise to tumors with a h uman parenchyma and a murine stroma, These tumors are similar to the d onor patients' tumors with respect to histological appearance, karyoty pe and molecular pathology. The cellular treatment sensitivities and t he organ-specific metastatic patterns of the donor patients' tumors ar e also retained after xenotransplantation. Consequently, human melanom a xenografts are exciting experimental models that show great promise for future studies of the molecular biology, angiogenesis, pathophysio logy, treatment sensitivity and metastatic behavior of malignant melan oma.