Experimental Metastatic Prostate Tumor Model Wayne State University Invention File No. In this model, lymph node metastases form from the primary tumor as in human prostate carcinoma. Carcinoma of the prostate is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. Annually, over 240,000 new cases are diagnosed and more than 40,000 deaths are attributed to the disease.
Early diagnosis offers the best opportunity for successful treatment of the disease.
In order to aid the study of prostate cancer and the development of potential treatments, it is desirable to have a highly reproducible animal model that closely mimics the human disease, including the formation of metastastic disease. A Wayne State University faculty member has developed a xenograft tumor model in nude mice which is highly reproducible, reliable, and predictable with well-defined kinetics. The cell lines were developed by initially performing an intrafemoral injection of the PC-3 cell line into nude mice, followed by several in vivo prostate passages of cells obtained from resected prostate tumor. Invasion of the tumor into seminal vesicles was sometimes observed. Prostate tumor presence was confirmed histologically.