GROWTH AND METASTATIC BEHAVIOR OF 5 HUMAN GLIOBLASTOMAS COMPARED WITH9 OTHER HISTOLOGICAL TYPES OF HUMAN TUMOR XENOGRAFTS IN SCID MICE

The growth and metastatic behavior of five human glioblastoma multifor me xenografts and nine human xenografts of various histological types were compared in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. The resu lts demonstrate that the metastatic behavior of the human glioblastoma multiforme xenografts did not differ significantly from a variety of other histological xenografts when evaluated at the same transplantati on site in the SCID model. These results are consistent with the hypot hesis that the site of glioblastoma multiforme growth influences the e xtraneural metastatic spread of this disease and lead the authors to s uggest that the clinical rarity of distant metastasis is not a fundame ntal property of these cells. A total of 340 male 7- to 8-week-old SCI D mice received subcutaneous transplantation of tumor fragments (21-25 mice per tumor type). The tumor-bearing leg was amputated when the tu mor reached a volume of 500 mm(3): mice were observed for up to 5 mont hs. There was a trend for a lower take rate, longer latent period, lon ger volume doubling time (VDT) and growth time (GT) in glioblastoma mu ltiforme as opposed to carcinoma and soft tissue sarcoma xenografts. T he highest local recurrence rates (75% and 68%) were observed in two g lioblastomas multiforme. Both the glioblastoma multiforme and the othe r histological xenografts exhibited a widely varying metastatic rate: no correlation was demonstrated between VDT, GT, local control/recurre nce, and distant metastasis. These findings show SCID mice to be an at tractive model for further biological and preclinical studies of human glioblastoma multiforme.