METASTATIC BEHAVIOR OF HUMAN-TUMOR CELL-LINES GROWN IN THE NUDE-MOUSE

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 44  (8) , 3522-3529
Abstract
The metastatic behavior of 7 human tumor cell lines grown in young (3-4 wk old) nude mice was studied. Two cell lines [DX-3 cells and A375 cells] were derived from malignant melanomas, one [HT-29 cells] from a colon carcinoma, two [DU-145 cells and PC-3 cells] from prostate adenocarcinomas and two [769-P cells and 786-O cells] from renal adenocarcinomas. Many of the cell lines produced metastases after i.v. injection (experimental metastasis) and after s.c. transplantation (spontaneous metastasis) into young nude mice. The incidence of metastasis seemed dependent primarily on the biological characteristics of the individual tumor cell line. The incidence of metastasis of some tumor cell lines could be increased by isolation and establishment of variant sublines from secondary tumor deposits, by prolonged systemic administration of 17.beta.-estradiol to suppress natural killer cell activity, and/or by use of an advantageous site of tumor implantation. Intrasplenic injection of tumor cells allowed the most dramatic overall expression of metastatic capacity in these cell lines, resulting in frequent and large metastases to liver, lungs and the mesenteric, omental and mediastinal lymph nodes.