H. Tsukui et al., ORTHOTOPIC IMPLANTATION OF HUMAN COLON-CA NCER INTO NUDE-MICE - METHODOLOGY AND PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL INTEREST, Gastroenterologie clinique et biologique, 18(12), 1994, pp. 1112-1118
Objectives. - The xenograft of human cancers into athymic nude mice ma
kes it possible to obtain abundant tumour material and deepen biologic
al characterization. Usually, the tumours are grafted into the subcuta
neous tissue whose environment is indeed different from that of origin
al colon cancer. Methods. - In older to transplant tumours into an ort
hotopic environment, intra-caecal implantation of colon cancers was pe
rformed. A tumour fragment (30 mm(3)) was deposited at the surface of
serous membrane of the caecum, previously scrapped, fixed with a threa
d and recovered with biologic glue. Six different types of colon tumou
r, previously adapted to transplantation in nude mice, were similarly
grafted. Results. - Twenty to forty days after transplantation, tumour
takes were observed with a similar rate by the subcutaneous or intra-
caecal graft (93 % of 115 and 96.8 % of 154 transplantations, respecti
vely). Tumour growth varied between the tumours implanted into the two
sites. Moreover, only the tumours intracaecally transplanted develope
d nodal and liver metastases. Histological examination revealed the in
vasion of the muscle layer, submucosal tissue and mucosal membrane by
tumour cells and the mixture of normal glands and neoplastic glands. C
onclusions. - This technique of orthotopic implantation of colon cance
r samples will contribute to obtain an experimental model for colon ca
ncer research.