A preclinical murine model for the detection of circulating human tumor cells.
OBJECTIVE
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cancer cells that disseminate from primary tumors and enter the bloodstream in the course of metastasis, may serve as an important indicator of metastatic disease and poor prognosis in patients with cancer. The aim of this study was to establish a preclinical animal model for detecting and studying human CTCs.


METHODS
We performed a renal subcapsular implantation of human cancer cells in immunodeficient mice and recorded primary tumor growth, CTCs, and metastatic tumor development.


RESULTS
Immunofluorescence, or immunohistochemical staining and whole-body imaging analysis revealed that the implanted cells developed primary renal tumors, CTCs were detected, and successfully established metastatic tumors in several organs, including the lung, colon, and lymph nodes, depending on the implanted cells.


CONCLUSIONS
This model may be useful for detecting and characterizing CTCs and for investigating the mechanisms underlying the course of tumor metastasis.
College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea. hylee135@snu.ac.kr.
Ji-Young
JY
Ahn
Hye-Young
HY
Min
Jee-Heon
JH
Jeong
Youngro
Y
Byun
Ho-Young
HY
Lee
D000818:Animals; D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic / Q000494:pharmacology; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000556:secondary*; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D000964:Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic; D005472:Fluorouracil
Circulating tumor cells; RCC; metastasis; murine model; renal subcapsular implantation