title: An in utero allotransplantation model of metastatic breast cancer in the cat.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Breast cancer represents one of the most significant health risks in the human female population due both to its frequency and metastatic potential. Current therapies, while improving the overall survival rate of women with mammary neoplasias, have not eliminated this disease as an important cause of morbidity and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  We have investigated transplantation of a feline mammary adenocarcinoma cell line into fetal cats as a model of human metastatic breast cancer. Fetal cats injected in utero with an allogeneic mammary adenocarcinoma cell line were born with palpable masses at the site of injection and developed widespread metastases over the following 6-10 weeks. Tumor foci were seen most commonly in the lung and in the local tissues adjacent to the primary injection site. This distribution of metastases mimics that seen in human breast cancer. Thus, in utero transplantation in cats is a reproducible experimental model of metastatic breast cancer in women.
authors.affiliation: Scott-Ritchey Research Center, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA. smithbf@auburn.edu
authors.forename: Bruce F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Felicia K
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Migone
authors.forename: Nancy R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.forename: Henry J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Baker
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000556:secondary*; D002415:Cats; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005333:Fetus; D008321:Mammary Glands, Animal; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015996:Survival Rate; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous