Published online Oct 15, 1998. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v4.i5.409
Revised: July 20, 1998
Accepted: August 16, 1998
Published online: October 15, 1998
AIM: To establish a liver metastasis model of human colorectal carcinoma in nude mice. METHODS: Orthotopic transplantation of histologically intact colorectal tissues from patients into colorectal mucosa of nude mice. Tumorgenicity, invasion, metastasis and morphological characteristics of the transplanted tumors were studied by light microscopy, electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry.
RESULTS: Liver metastasis models of human colon carcinoma (HCA-HMN-1) and human rectal carcinoma (HRA-HMN-2) were established after sceening from 34 colorectal carcinomas.They had been passaged in vivo for 18 and 21 generations respectively. There were lymphatic, hemotogenous and implanting metastasesis. CEA secretion was maintained after transplantation. The primary and liver metastatic tumors were similar to the original human carcinoma in histopathological and ultrastructural features, DNA content and chromosomal karyotype.
CONCLUSION: The liver metastasis models provide useful tools for the study of mechanism of metastasis and its treatment of human colorectal cancer.