title: Establishment of an orthotopic lung cancer model in nude mice and its evaluation by spiral CT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish a simple and highly efficient orthotopic animal model of lung cancer cell line A549 and evaluate the growth pattern of intrathoracic tumors by spiral CT.
  
  
  METHODS
  A549 cells (5×10(6) mL(-1)) were suspended and inoculated into the right lung of BALB/c nude mice via intrathoracic injection. Nude mice were scanned three times each week by spiral CT after inoculation of lung cancer cell line A549. The survival time and body weight of nude mice as well as tumor invasion and metastasis were examined. Tissue was collected for subsequent histological assay after autopsia of mice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tumor-forming rate of the orthotopic lung cancer model was 90%. The median survival time was 30.7 (range, 20-41) days. The incidence of tumor metastasis was 100%. The mean tumor diameter and the average CT value gradually increased in a time-dependent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The method of establishing the orthotopic lung cancer model through transplanting A549 cells into the lung of nude mice is simple and highly successful. Spiral CT can be used to evaluate intrathoracic tumor growth in nude mice vividly and dynamically.
authors: Xiang
authors: X
authors: Liu
authors: Jun
authors: J
authors: Liu
authors: Yubao
authors: Y
authors: Guan
authors: Huiling
authors: H
authors: Li
authors: Liyan
authors: L
authors: Huang
authors: Hailing
authors: H
authors: Tang
authors: Jianxing
authors: J
authors: He