Systematic Reviews
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 7, 2015; 21(41): 11854-11861
Published online Nov 7, 2015. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v21.i41.11854
Animal models of human colorectal cancer: Current status, uses and limitations
Vijay K Mittal, Jasneet Singh Bhullar, Kumar Jayant
Vijay K Mittal, Kumar Jayant, Department of Surgery, Providence Hospital and Medical Centers, Southfield, MI 48075, United States
Jasneet Singh Bhullar, Department of Colorectal Surgery, University of Minnesota, MN 55114, United States
Author contributions: Mittal VK and Bhullar JS contributed equally to this work; Bhullar JS and Jayant K wrote the paper; Mittal VK, Bhullar JS and Jayant K edited and reviewed the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors have nothing to disclose.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Correspondence to: Jasneet Singh Bhullar, MD, MS, Department of Colorectal Surgery, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis - St Paul, MN 55114, United States. drjsbhullar@gmail.com
Telephone: +1-612-3019433 Fax: +1-612-6254411
Received: February 9, 2015
Peer-review started: February 10, 2015
First decision: April 23, 2015
Revised: June 9, 2015
Accepted: August 31, 2015
Article in press: August 31, 2015
Published online: November 7, 2015
Processing time: 267 Days and 11.5 Hours
Abstract

AIM: To make orthotopic colon cancer murine models a more clearly understood subject. The orthotopic tumor models have been found to be more relevant in replicating the human disease process as compared to heterotopic models, many techniques for making orthotopic colorectal murine models have been reported.

METHODS: We evaluated the current literature for various reported orthotopic colon cancer models to understand their techniques, advantages and limitations. An extensive literature review was performed by searching the National Library of Medicine Database (PubMed) using MeSH terms animal model; colon cancer; orthotopic model; murine model. Twenty studies related to colon cancer orthotopic xenograft model were evaluated in detail and discussed here.

RESULTS: The detailed analysis of all relevant reports on orthotopic model showed tumor take rate between 42%-100%. While models using the enema technique and minimally invasive technique have reported development of tumor from mucosa with tumor take rate between 87%-100% with metastasis in 76%-90%.

CONCLUSION: Over the years, the increased understanding of the murine models of human colon cancer has resulted in the development of various models. Each reported model has some limitations. These latest models have opened up new doors for continuing cancer research for not only understanding the colon cancer pathogenesis but also aid in the development of newer chemotherapeutic drugs as they mimic the human disease closely.

Keywords: Murine model; Colon cancer; Colon cancer murine model; Orthotopic model; Animal model; Colon cancer animal model; Colorectal cancer; Cancer model; Colorectal cancer; Colorectal cancer animal model

Core tip: The murine models of colon cancer represent an important tool for understanding the etiopathogenesis and evaluating management strategies for colorectal cancer, thus representing a resource of immense potential in cancer research. Over the years, the increased understanding of the murine models of human colon cancer have resulted in the development of various models. We evaluated the current literature for various reported orthotopic colon cancer models. Our paper discusses the techniques, results, advantages and limitations of the presently available murine models of colorectal cancer so that a researcher can choose an appropriate colorectal cancer murine model which fits their research goals.