title: Endocrine therapy of human breast cancer grown in nude mice.
abstract: Although there have been extensive studies of rodent breast tumor models, and of human breast cancer cell lines in culture, there is still need for a human tumor model which can be manipulated experimentally but also provides a valid expression of the tumor cells in a host environment. Athymic nude mice bearing transplanted human breast tumors have been proposed as such a model. This review therefore discusses the use of the athymic nude mouse model of the study of human breast cancer biology, and focuses on four subjects: 1. biological characteristics of heterotransplanted breast tumors; 2. endocrinology and pharmacology of hormonal agents in the nude mouse; 3. endocrine sensitivity of heterotransplanted tumors; and 4. applicability and limitations of this model for the study of human breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: University Institute of Pathological Anatomy, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brünner
authors.forename: C K
authors.initials: CK
authors.lastname: Osborne
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spang-Thomsen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006728:Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D014183:Transplantation, Heterologous
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones