title: Thymic atrophy induced by murine mammary adenocarcinoma in vivo.
abstract: The thymic compartment of mammary tumor bearing mice is severely affected with increasing tumor growth. T cell functions in peripheral organs are greatly impaired or absent in such animals. A study of the thymus in relation to tumorigenesis revealed a profound decrease in size accompanied by a disrupture of the normal thymic architecture. Although a strong splenic suppressor cell activity can be detected in this animal model, splenectomy did not prevent thymic involution. Injection of tumor associated factors into normal mice resulted in a thymic atrophy similar to that seen in tumor bearing mice. These findings indicate that the observed thymic involution may not be only due to stress-related phenomena but also a direct effect of the tumor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida 33101.
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Lopez
mesh_terms: D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009929:Organ Size; D012016:Reference Values; D013950:Thymus Gland / Q000166:cytology / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene