CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HORMONE-SENSITIVITY OF 3 HUMAN NON-SMALL-CELLLUNG CANCERS GRAFTED ONTO NUDE-MICE

The in vivo hormone sensitivity of three human NSCLCs grafted onto fem ale nude mice (labelled KLX7, KLX9 and KLX14) was characterized on a d ynamic level, i.e. on the level of both the macroscopic growth and the proliferative fraction (PF = percentage of cells in the S + G2 + M Fr actions). Two sets of experiments were performed. The first set showed the influence on the macroscopic growth of the NSCLC xenograft of cas tration performed either before or after tumor grafting. The second se t showed the influence of a pulse of 6 different hormones or growth fa ctors on the PF index magnitude recorded 36 h after their administrati on to the xenograft-bearing mice. These 6 hormones or growth factors w ere EGF, estradiol-17-beta (E2), gastrin (G), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) and bombesin (B). The results show that the KLX7 model grew definitely faster on the nu de mice than the other two models. Ovariectomy before or after tumor g rafting did not significantly modify the growth pattern of the KLX7 mo del, while castration before tumor grafting significantly increased th e macroscopic growth of both the KLX9 and the KLX 1 4 tumors. In contr ast, E2, bFGF, G and B significantly increased the proliferative activ ity of the KLX7 model 36 h after their administration to the tumor-bea ring mice while remaining without any apparent statistically significa nt effects in both the KLX9 and the KLX 14 models.