Development of an orthotopic model to study the biology and therapy of primary human lung cancer in nude mice.

PURPOSE This study was conducted to develop biologically relevant animal models of human lung cancer that are reproducible, inexpensive, and easy to perform. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Human lung adenocarcinoma (PC14PE6), bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (NCI-H358), squamous cell carcinoma (NCI-H226), poorly differentiated non-small cell lung cancer (NCI-H1299 and A549), or small cell lung cancer (NCI-H69) cells in Matrigel were injected percutaneously into the left lungs of nude mice. The growth pattern of the different lung cancer tumors was studied. For PC14PE6 and NCI-H358, the growth pattern in the subcutis and the response to paclitaxel were also studied. RESULTS As is observed for human primary lung cancer, tumors formed from a single focus of disease and progressed to a widespread and fatal thoracic process characterized by diffuse dissemination of lung cancer in both lungs and metastasis to intra- and extrathoracic lymph nodes. When the lung cancer cell lines were implanted s.c., systemic therapy with paclitaxel induced tumor regression. However, only a limited therapeutic response to paclitaxel was observed when the same cells were implanted orthotopically into the lung. Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor tissue revealed increased expression of the proangiogenic factors interleukin 8, basic fibroblast growth factor, and vascular endothelial growth factor/vascular permeability factor. CONCLUSIONS Our orthotopic models of human lung cancer confirm the "seed and soil" concept and likely provide more clinically relevant systems for the study of both non-small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer biology, and for characterizing novel therapeutic strategies.