title: Stereotactic biopsies as a model for studying the interaction between gliomas and normal brain tissue in vitro.
abstract: In order to study tumor invasiveness, the authors used a model system which allows the direct interaction between glioma cells and normal brain tissue to be studied. The spiral needle biopsy technique provides a tissue core with a completely preserved architecture from brain tumors. These biopsies, once cultured, produce three-dimensional multicellular tumor spheroids; they display morphological features similar to those of the original tumor in vivo. As a target fetal rat brain cell aggregates were used, in order to study the invasive process in the microscope. Not surprisingly, different tumors show different patterns of invasion; this variability is not yet clearly correlated with the clinical course of the patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, University of Bergen, Haukeland Hospital, Norway.
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Backlund
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bjerkvig
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D001921:Brain / Q000166:cytology*; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D005910:Glioma / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D051381:Rats; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured