Abstract 4614: Establishment of a HER2 positive breast cancer bone metastasis model for validation of novel therapies
Authors: Kähkönen Tiina E. , Suominen Mari I. , Mäki-Jouppila Jenni H. , Halleen Jussi M. , Bernoulli Jenni , Grant Derek 
Published: August 2019

Breast cancers with overexpression of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2+) have aggressive clinical behavior, and at advanced stages are associated with increased risk for developing metastases to distant organs including bones, brain and lungs. The aim of this study was to establish a systemic metastasis model for HER2+ breast cancer with a special interest in bone metastasis. The effects of cell number, estrogen supplementation and mouse strain on metastasis formation were studied.

In the study, 5-6 weeks old athymic nude and Rag2 mice (n=10-13 per group) were used. Half of the mice received estrogen supplementation (E2-releasing rods 5µg/day) one week before inoculation of the cancer cells. The mice were inoculated intracardially with 1 or 5 x 105 luciferase-labelled triple-positive (ER, PR positive and HER2 overexpressing) human BT-474 breast cancer cells. The formation of metastases was followed by bioluminescence imaging (BLI) at inoculation and once a week for the duration of the study. At sacrifice, X-ray imaging was performed and the bones were collected for histological analysis.

The formation of bone metastases was observed in all study groups, and bone metastases were dominant in the model. Based on BLI, bone metastases developed in nude mice earlier than in Rag2 mice. However, detection of metastases in Rag2 mice was challenging due to dark fur hindering the signal transmittance. The bone metastases appeared between 7 to 36 days after inoculation of the cancer cells in nude mice and between 20 to 43 days in Rag2 mice. The number of bone metastases was higher in nude mice. E2 supplement accelerated the development of bone metastases in both mouse strains. In nude mice with E2 supplement, bone metastases appeared between 7 to 14 days compared to between 20 to 36 days in mice without E2 supplement. In Rag2 mice with E2 supplement bone metastases formed between 20 to 28 days compared to between 36 to 43 days without E2 supplement. The use of higher cell number accelerated the development of bone metastases but had no major effect on their incidence in both mouse strains. Take rate of bone metastases was 90-100% in nude mice with E2 supplement compared to 30-50% without E2 supplement. In Rag2 mice, the take rate of bone metastases was 50% with E2 supplement. X-ray imaging showed estrogen induced bone growth and large tumor-induced osteolytic lesions in the hind limbs in both strains. Due to the extensive bone lesions and occasional fractures, the first mice were sacrificed 50 days after inoculation of the cancer cells. Both mouse strains occasionally developed metastases in soft tissues including brain and ovaries.

In conclusion, a high rate of bone metastasis was achieved in athymic nude mice supplemented with E2. This model can be used to study the efficacy of anti-cancer, such as HER2-targeted, compounds on tumor growth at metastatic locations or on the prevention of metastasis formation.

Citation Format: Tiina E. Kähkönen, Mari I. Suominen, Jenni H. Mäki-Jouppila, Jussi M. Halleen, Jenni Bernoulli, Derek Grant. Establishment of a HER2 positive breast cancer bone metastasis model for validation of novel therapies [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 4614.