We would like to thank Pascal DuBois for proof-reading the article. The authors would also like to thank the personnel of the Animal Facility at Hunter College of The City University of New York. This work was supported by a NIH RCMI grant to Hunter College.

Ethics Statement 
All animal studies were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) of Hunter College of The City University of New York.
Note: Eight BALB/c mice were used in this experimental procedure. Five BALB/c mice were implanted with 5 X 106 BNL 1ME A.7R.1 mouse hepatocellular carcinoma cells to produce the primary tumors. Three BALB/c mice with no implantations were used as controls. BNL 1ME A.7R.1 is a murine hepatocellular ca...

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In this article an in-depth description of the method is given that was recently reported by Ogunwobi and colleagues of successful establishment of an orthotopic syngeneic mouse model of HCC metastasis (Figure 2)3. The take rate of tumors for this procedure is generally high. We have previously observed a tumor take rate of 100%3. However, the take rate can be variable depending on the competence of the investigator. In a recent experiment performed by a new graduate student under t...

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most lethal cancers, with poor prognosis and low life expectancy. Nearly all cancer-related deaths are due to the metastatic spread of the disease from the originating organ to additional distant organs2-6.HCC progression is a complex process. Therefore, being able to model the tumor microenvironment that is naturally found in metastatic HCC in animal models can prove to be a successful and useful way to reveal relevant mechanisms in humans.7Unfortunately, the mechanisms of cancer metastasis are still largely unclear. Therefore, there is a need to establish animal models that will enable us to elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms of metastases of cancers such as HCC3,5.
Mouse model systems are a very useful approach for delineating mechanisms and evaluating novel strategies for treatment of metastatic human cancers5,8. The various mouse model systems that presently exist are a testament to efforts of researchers to correctly depict the complexity of the disease5,8,9.
Ogunwobi and colleagues recently used a survival surgical approach to demonstrate establishment of a novel orthotopic syngeneic mouse model for the study of metastasis in HCC3. Their work established a &#8220;patient-like&#8221; mouse model that recapitulates features of aggressive and metastatic HCCs3. They further demonstrated that this mouse model system can be used to study the biology of circulating tumor cells, and that this holds potential for gaining novel insights into the mechanisms of cancer metastasis3.
The aim of this paper is to describe in detail the methodology used in establishing this &#8220;patient-like&#8221; orthotopic syngeneic mouse model of HCC metastasis3. The methodology of how to implant BNL 1ME A.7R.1 mouse HCC cells directly into the liver (the organ of origin) of the inbred wild-type immune competent laboratory mouse strain, BALB/c3 using survival surgery will be described. Unlike other mouse xenograft tumor models where human tumor cells are implanted into immune deficient mice, this system is syngeneic and is, therefore, suitable for studying the role of the immune system in tumor metastasis3,5,8. This approach will likely gain widespread use for studying the mechanisms of metastasis in solid organ cancers.

<table border="0">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro Dissecting Tweezer&#160;</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-5040)</td>
			<td>Tip .20 x .12mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Graefe Micro Dissecting Forceps, serrated curved tip</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-5111)</td>
			<td>1 X 2 teeth, curved tip width 0.6mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro Dissecting Retractor-Agricola (3 by 3 prongs)</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-6501)</td>
			<td>Blunt 3 X 3 prongs, depth 4mm, spread 25mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro Dissecting Retractor-Goldstein (3 by 3 prongs)</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-6503)</td>
			<td>Blunt, 3 X 3 prongs, depth 4mm, spread 19mm</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Jameson Caliper (Measures tumors)</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-6466)</td>
			<td>80mm/3 inch scale, chrome plated&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Micro Dissecting Scissors, large ring sissors, straight and sharp</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-5852)</td>
			<td>23mm blades, length 4 inches, flat shanks and large rings</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Scalpel with blades, for delicate dissecting procedures</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-9861-36)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Scalpel handle&#160;</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-9884)</td>
			<td>Solid</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Littauer Stitch Sissors</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-7074)</td>
			<td>Length 4.5 inches</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Brown needle holder, for easy suture tying</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-7960)</td>
			<td>Convex jaw, fine serrations</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Reflex 7MM wound clips with reflex 7 clip applier</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-9262)</td>
			<td>safe, secure alternative method of wound closure</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Instrument tray and lid</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>RT-1350S</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Mini-clipper with detachable blade</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>(RS-5903)</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Germinator 500 (the Germ Terminator) Dry Sterilizer</td>
			<td>Roboz</td>
			<td>Ds-400, Ds-401, DS-501</td>
			<td>For fast decontamination of micro-dissecting instruments.&#160;&#160; Instruments decontaminate within 15 seconds.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microinjection needles</td>
			<td>VWR</td>
			<td>BD305125</td>
			<td>25G Needle</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a "patient-like" orthotopic syngeneic mouse model of hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis

The majority of cancer-related deaths are caused by the metastasis of the cancer rather than the primary tumor itself. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of cancer metastasis are still unclear. Animal models are essential for elucidating the mechanisms and for evaluating novel strategies for the treatment of metastatic cancers. Here, an in-depth description of a &#8220;patient-like&#8221; orthotopic syngeneic mouse model for exploring the mechanisms of metastasis of solid organ tumors is provided. The survival surgical implantation of BNL 1ME A.7R.1 mouse hepatocellular carcinoma cells directly into the liver (the organ of origin) of the inbred wild-type immune competent laboratory mouse strain, BALB/c is described. The success and reproducibility of this methodology recommends it for widespread use in elucidating the biological mechanisms of solid organ cancer metastasis.

The livers of Balb/c mice were implanted with 5&#215;106 BNL 1ME A.7R.1 mouse HCC cells. Clinical evidence of HCC development was observable 63 days post-surgery. Consequently, mice were humanely euthanized. Necropsy was performed on the euthanized mice. The lungs and liver were resected and a careful gross examination was performed to identify macroscopic tumors. In one mouse, a superficial tumor was observed on the surface of the liver with some attachment to the abdominal wall (Figure 1A). ...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A "Patient-Like" Orthotopic Syngeneic Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis at JoVE.com

A &quot;Patient-Like&quot; Orthotopic Syngeneic Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis

The metastatic spread of cancer is the major cause of cancer-related deaths. We provide an in-depth description of our survival surgery methodology for establishing a &#8220;patient-like&#8221; orthotopic syngeneic mouse model system for studying the mechanisms of metastasis in solid organ tumors.

A "Patient-Like" Orthotopic Syngeneic Mouse Model of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Metastasis

The majority of cancer-related deaths are caused by the metastasis of the cancer rather than the primary tumor itself. Yet, the underlying mechanisms of ...

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12.1K vues.  Hunter College of the City University of New York.  La dissémination métastatique du cancer est la principale cause de décès liés au cancer. Nous fournissons une description en profondeur de notre méthodologie de chirurgie de survie pour établir un système orthotopique "patient comme" modèle de souris syngénique pour étudier les mécanismes de métastases dans les tumeurs d'organes solides. 