Effects of regional lymphadenectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy on metastasis and survival in rodent tumour models

Two Lines of Walker Carcinoma 256: Their Peculiarities and Different Interactions with the Host

Two sublines of Walker 256 carcinoma have been characterized for their ability to metastasize and to induce cachexia. The invasive, metastasizing line A induced terminal anorexia in rats with a mean survival time of 27 ± 1.5 days. The non-invasive line B induced early anorexia and cachexia with a mean survival time of only 15 + 1 days. At death, the line B tumor was still smaller than the line A one, and no metastases were detectable. These two sublines are discussed as a composite model for studying anorexia and cachexia together with invasion and metastasis.

Impact of sentinel lymphadenectomy on survival in a murine model of melanoma

Lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy-also termed sentinel lymphadenectomy (SL)-has become a standard of care for patients with primary invasive cutaneous melanoma. This technique has been shown to provide accurate information about the disease status of the regional lymph node basins at risk for metastasis, provide prognostic information, and provide durable regional lymph node control. The potential survival benefit afforded to patients undergoing SL is controversial. Central to this controversy is whether metastasis to regional lymph nodes occurs independent of or prior to widespread hematogenous dissemination. A related area of uncertainty is whether tumor cells residing within regional lymph nodes have increased metastatic potential. We have used a murine model of primary invasive cutaneous melanoma based on injection of B16-BL6 melanoma cells into the pinna to address two questions: (1) does SL plus wide excision of the primary tumor result in a survival advantage over wide excision alone; and (2) do melanoma cells growing within lymph nodes produce a higher incidence of hematogenous metastases than do cells growing at the primary tumor site? We found that SL significantly improved the survival of mice with small primary tumors. We found no difference in the incidence of lung metastases produced by B16-BL6 melanoma cells growing exclusively within regional lymph nodes and cells growing within the pinna.

Tumor therapy of neoplastic diseases with tumor cells and neuraminidase: experimental studies on chessboard vaccination in transplantation tumors

The therapeutic effect of intradermal (i.d.) injection of tumor cells mixed with VCN on growth of spontaneous metastases in transplantable tumors in mice (3-Lewis lung adenocarcinoma; B16-melanoma) and rats (R-3230 mammary adenocarcinoma) was investigated. Intradermal injection was done in a chessboard-like manner; increasing numbers (10(5), 10(6) and 10(7)) of Mitomycin-treated tumor cells (M-TC) were each mixed with increasing amounts (10, 50 and 100 mU) of Vibrio cholerae Neuraminidase (VCN). These different mixtures were injected i.d. at different sites one day after resection of the primary tumor graft to mice and rats, suffering from minimal residual disease. The therapeutic effect of this so-called chessboard vaccination on minimal residual disease was compared to that of the subcutaneous or i.d. injection of VCN-treated M-TC (10(5), 10(6), 10(7) or 10(8) cells) or of single mixtures of M-TC and VCN. The results show that compared to VCN-treated M-TC or single mixtures of M-TC and VCN, chessboard vaccination is the only procedure that is therapeutically effective on metastasation of Lewis lung adenocarcinoma. The therapeutic effect could be abrogated by heat-inactivation of VCN. Incomplete chessboard vaccinations (10(5), 10(6), 10(7) tumor cells, each mixed with 5 mU VCN only) were likewise ineffective. However, treatment with incomplete chessboard vaccinations in combination with a low dose of cyclophosphamide (which is not immunosuppressive, but partly inhibits tumor growth) had a synergistic therapeutic effect on minimal residual disease of Lewis lung adenocarcinoma. In contrast, growth of metastases of B16-melanoma and R-3230 adenocarcinoma could not significantly be influenced by any of those treatments. The DTH response of tumor bearing animals against i.d. applied tumor cells was neither significantly enhanced by the admixture of enzymatically active VCN nor did the DTH response seem to be predictive for a tumor-therapeutic effect. Thomsen-Friedenreich antigens could serologically be detected on untreated cells of Lewis lung adenocarcinoma, B16-melanoma and R-3230 adenocarcinoma. Exposure of Thomsen-Friedenreich antigens after treatment with VCN was enhanced on cells of all tumors except Lewis lung adenocarcinoma. As chessboard vaccination only proved to be successful in Lewis lung adenocarcinoma, but not in the other tumors, it can be concluded that the exposure of Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen plays no decisive role in tumor therapy with tumor cells and VCN. Chessboard vaccination was tolerated without any side effects. Tumor enhancement was not observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Lymphatic metastasis; lymphangiochemotherapy of mammary cancer: ascitic form of rat mammary adenocarcinoma 13762

When 5 million cells of the ascitic form of the RMT 13762 are injected into syngeneic F344 rat footpads there is consistent metastasis to the popliteal node more rapidly than when the solid form is used. A greater number of tumor cells escapes from the footpad to the draining node via the afferent lymph than with the solid tumor. Local intralymphatic injection of 5FU produces cure or retardation of nodal metastasis in a significant number of animals (p less than 0.002).

Lymphatic metastasis

Lymphatic metastasis is an important mechanism in the spread of human cancer. During its course, tumor cells first penetrate the basement of membrane of the epithelium, in which they arise, and then the underlying connective tissue, carried partly by hydrostatic pressure. They enter the lymphatic partly by active movement, pass up the lymphatic trunk; they then settle and proliferate in the subcapsular sinus, penetrate its endothelium and proliferate and destroy the node. There are varied forms of immune response in the node and in human nodes often a complex fibrous and vascular response. The degree of lymphocytic response may be important for prognosis. The nodal reaction may be stimulated by release of antigens from the tumor. One of the most studied animal models of lymphatic metastasis is that which occurs in the politeal node after injection of tumor into the footpad. This model has been used to show that tumor cells enter lymphatics through gaps in endothelium, probably between endothelial cells, and that lymph nodes can destroy small numbers of tumor cells. Local immunotherapy and chemotherapy can sterilize a lymph node of tumor cells; the modes of treatment used have included intralymphatic injection and encapsulation of chemotherapeutic agents in liposomes. Prior radiotherapy may accelerate metastasis possibly by making tumor cells shed into lymphatic vessels. Lymph nodes are rather poor barriers to tumor cells. The prognostic significance of lymph node metastasis varies within tumor type; if hematogenous metastasis is early, then the presence of lymph node metastasis is of lesser prognostic significance. Lymph nodes can probably destroy only small numbers of tumor cells. Tumor cell heterogeneity is of importance in many aspects of metastasis; while clonal variation may be of importance in determining lymph node metastasis, it is not yet clear how important this is, nor whether specific clones metastasize specifically to lymph nodes. Lymphography is well established in diagnosis of lymphatic metastasis. A recent interesting development has been to inject antibodies labeled with a radioactive label, and image the label in lymph nodes with a gamma-camera. If anti-tumor antibodies are used in this way it may be possible to detect lymph node metastasis. Within the expanding field of tumor metastasis, lymphatic metastasis needs much more attention, particularly in relation to the diagnosis and treatment of the lymphatic spread of human cancer.

Tumor immunity in rat lymph nodes following transplantation

Inguinal lymph nodes in the Buffalo rat were autotransplanted to the popliteal fossa by an intact vascular pedicle or by microvascular anastomosis. These revascularized nodes had normal histology and made spontaneous afferent and efferent lymphatic reconnection with surrounding lymphatic vessels, as documented by ink and silicone rubber injection studies. Lymphoscintigraphy with 99mTc antimony sulfide colloid correctly predicted the 44 of 120 node transplants that had made afferent reconnection. To demonstrate immunologic activity of lymph nodes following transplantation, a cellular adherance assay was employed to detect cell-mediated cytotoxicity of lymph node cells isolated from rats sensitized to an allogeneic gliosarcoma. Cytotoxicity was detected in nontransplanted regional nodes sensitized to tumor (p less than 0.01) and in nodes transplanted by vascular pedicle and then sensitized to tumor (p less than 0.001). This study demonstrates that lymph nodes can be transplanted with restoration of functional lymphatic anatomy, and that following transplantation, lymph nodes retain the ability to mount an immune response against tumor.