Enhancement by drugs of metastatic lung nodule formation after intravenous tumour cell injection

Experimental systems for analysis of the malignant phenotype

Identification of the cellular and subcellular alterations responsible for the metastatic behavior of malignant tumor cells and development of reliable screening programs for detecting new therapeutic agents for improved treatment of metastatic disease both depend crucially on the availability of experimental systems that can serve as relevant models of human cancer. Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of cancer metastasis have raised serious doubts about the usefulness of many of the experimental approaches that have long been used in the study of metastasis. Recent findings showing that metastases are caused by specific subpopulations of metastatic tumor cells, and that not all cells in a malignant primary tumor possess metastatic properties, are of profound importance for experimental efforts to understand the mechanism of metastatic phenotype among cells from the same tumor means that the traditional, and widely used, approach of analyzing primary tumors and cultured cell lines containing multiple, phenotypically heterogeneous, subpopulations of cells may provide little or no insight into the properties of the metastatic subpopulations, particularly if they represent only a minor fraction of the entire population. Similarly, the practice of screening potential therapeutic modalities for their ability to reduce the mass and/or growth rate of a primary tumor may be inadequate in predicting the responsiveness of metastatic lesions. Solution of these problems requires that new methods must be devised to isolate and characterize the specific subpopulations of tumor cells endowed with metastatic potential. In addition, knowledge of how the extraordinary phenotypic diversity found in tumor cell subpopulations from the same tumor is generated and how subpopulation diversity is regulated during progressive growth of both the primary tumor and its metastases are of fundamental importance if we are to design meaningful experimental systems for studying the metastatic process. This article reviews our current understanding of these complex issues and their implications for the experimental analysis of the malignant phenotype. The merits and shortcomings of different experimental systems are discussed in detail together with the identification of areas in which new experimental strategies and models are now needed.'

Long-term effects of pulmonary damage in mice on lung weight, compliance, hydroxyproline content and formation of metastases

The development of "metastatic" colonies of fibrosarcoma in the lungs of mice after IV injection of a single-cell suspension of tumour cells varied with time after irradiation or administration of bleomycin. Most notably, there was a late radiation-induced enhancement of colony-forming efficiency that coincided with an increase in lung weight and hydroxyproline content and a decrease in compliance. There was no radiation-induced enhancement of "spontaneous" metastases from a mammary carcinoma implanted in the thighs of the animal. The sequence of events after administration of bleomycin was similar to that after irradiation, but the duration of the treatment was different and the temporal relationship between enhanced colony-forming efficiency and changes in lung weight and hydroxyproline content was not as clear cut.

Cyclophosphamide-induced lung damage in mice: protection by a small preliminary dose

Cycylphosphamide (Cy) produces an interstitial pneumonitis in CBA mice. The extent of the lung damage has been quantified by measuring the increase in ventilation rate over 6 weeks after an i.p. injection of Cy 200, 250 and 300 mg/kg. A dose-dependent response was found. When a preliminary ("priming") dose of Cy at 50 mg/kg was given 7, 9 or 14 days before a single large dose of 250 mg/kg, lung damage was reduced, as shown by a smaller increase in ventilation rate than in those receiving 250 mg/kg alone, and this difference was significant (P less than 0.01) in the Day-14-and highly significant (P<0.001) in the Day-7-"primed" groups. When primed less than 7 days before, there was a relative increase in ventilation rate, which was statistically significant (P less than 0.01) in the Day-1-primed group. Similar effects were also seen in the survival of the mice.

Lymph node metastases of EMT6 tumour in nude mice

Metastatic axillary lymph nodes following the injection of EMT6 tumour cells were observed in athymic nude mice, more often in female animals, and had a rapid growth rate. These metastases did not develop in syngeneic hosts. The latency of their appearance was inversely related to the number of injected cells.

Adjuvant chemotherapy: theoretical considerations and model studies

Comparison of response of experimental tumors to adjuvant chemotherapy for minimal disease with the response of solid large tumors to similar drug regimens has indicated that for many tumors the small microscopic foci are more responsive. There are, however, a number of model tumors that respond far less to chemotherapy when applied to minimal disease than when applied to large tumors. The response of these tumors to adjuvant treatment shows similarities with the clinically observed response. The data do not support the hypothesis that the success of a drug combination given as adjuvant chemotherapy may be predicted from the success of the same treatment when applied for manifest disease.

Effect of dose fractionation on the enhancement by radiation or cyclophosphamide of artificial pulmonary metastases

Thoracic irradiation or cyclophosphamide (CP) treatment of mice before an i.v. injection of tumour cells enhances the number of lung colonies produced by a factor of up to 100+. The effect of fractionation of the X-ray or CP dose on this phenomenon was investigated in several ways.The dose-response curve for the number of lung colonies as a function of the dose of thoracic irradiation was linear, and the degree of enhancement was independent of the number of tumour cells injected. Splitting a dose of 1,000 rad into 2 equal fractions separated by times varying from 1 to 24 h gave the same enhancement as that produced by a single dose of 1000 rad. Similarly, fractionation of 1000 rad into 5 × 200 rad, or 2000 rad into 5 × 400 rad (each interval between fractions being 3 h) had no effect on the radiation enhancement of colony formation.A single dose of 200 mg/kg of CP was compared with 3 doses of 66·7 mg/kg (each dose separated by 12 h) and with a continuous infusion of 200 mg/kg given over 24 h. In this case, fractionation and infusion produced a small reduction in the CP-induced increase, but the factor of colony enhancement compared to control mice remained >100.These data emphasize the potential hazard of prophylactic treatment of pulmonary metastases by X-rays or CP in clinical situations in which control of the primary tumour is not achieved.

Inhibition of phagocytosis and glucose metabolism of alveolar macrophages during pulmonary tumour growth

Alveolar macrophage (AM) phagocytic activity and glucose metabolism were evaluated during lung tumour growth in adult rats challenged i.v. with 10(5) viable Walker 256 tumour cells. Phagocytosis was estimated by the in vitro uptake of (14)C-labelled Pseudomonas aeruginosa and glucose oxidation was evaluated by (14)CO(2) production from 1-(14)C-glucose. AM were harvested by lung lavage from rats prior to and at 7 and 21 days following i.v. tumour-cell challenge. Macroscopic lung tumour nodules were not observed by 7 days after tumour challenge. However, 3 weeks after tumour challenge, tumour nodules were clearly identifiable on the surfaces of the lungs. One week after the i.v. tumour challenge a marked increase in the number of AM was evident. The in vitro phagocytosis of (14)C-labelled Pseudomonas aeruginosa was unaltered at that time, but became progressively depressed thereafter. Three weeks after tumour challenge, this decrease in phagocytic activity was evident when cells were incubated in normal serum, and was furtheri ntensified by serum obtained from tumour-bearing animals. Glucose oxidation by AM in either the resting condition or during bacterial phagocytosis was clearly decreased at both 1 and 3 weeks following i.v. tumour challenge. These findings indicate that the growth of pulmonary metastases is associated with a depression of alveolar macrophage bacterial phagocytic capacity, perturbations in serum opsonic activity and distinct alterations in macrophage energy metabolism. The metabolic dysfunction may impair pulmonary macrophage host defences against lung tumour growth.

Trapping and destruction of blood-borne syngeneic leukaemia cells in lung, liver and spleen of normal and leukaemic rats

Leukaemic cells from rats with a lymphoid (HRL) or myeloid (SAL) leukaemia were labelled with 125IUDR and injected i.v. into either normal or leukaemic syngeneic recipients. The fate of the injected cells was studied in terms of the radioactivity in various tissues at various times up to 24 h later. In normal animals the leukaemia cells were destroyed rapidly in the reticulo-endothelial (RE) system; immediately after injection most recoverable activity was in the lung, with smaller amounts in the blood, spleen and liver but by 24 h only 20-30% of the injected activity could be recovered. In leukaemic recipients with high numbers of blasts in the blood the amount of activity recoverable from the lungs and bone-marrow was markedly reduced, while that in the blood was doubled. Nonetheless, the overall rate at which radioactivity was eliminated was not significantly different from that found in normal rats, in spite of the fact that the RE system was extensively infiltrated by leukaemia cells.