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Tumour metastasis in mice with reduced immune reactivity. II. Studies with a highly antigenic MCA‐induced sarcoma in thymectomized and/or sub‐lethally irradiated C57BL/6J mice
Author(s) -
Suurküla Mart,
Boeryd Bernt
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.2910140510
Subject(s) - immunosuppression , immune system , transplantation , sarcoma , thymectomy , biology , immunity , antigen , antibody , immunology , spleen , metastasis , neoplasm , pathology , medicine , cancer , myasthenia gravis , genetics
Spontaneous metastasis formation was studied in thymectomized and/or sublethally irradiated syngeneic C57BL/6J mice of a highly antigenic MCA‐induced sarcoma. The tumour has a low incidence of mainly pulmonary metastases in normal mice. The tumour was transplanted between 1 day and 3 months after irradiation. The immune competence was tested by the antibody response against SRBC and by studying the transplantation immunity against the tumour and allogeneic skin grafts. A wide range of immune‐suppressive states was obtained as shown by the antibody response against SRBC and by the transplantation immunity against the tumour. Local tumour growth at the transplantation site was more rapid in female than in male mice, but the difference was markedly reduced after the immunosuppressive procedures. This growth was slower in the thymectomized and irradiated groups than in the groups which were irradiated only, suggesting an inverse relationship between tumour growth and the degree of immunosuppression in this system. In contrast to this, tumour spread to lungs and lymph nodes was more pronounced in thymectomized and irradiated groups than in the groups irradiated only. The treatments caused varying and sometimes opposite effects on local tumour growth in the two sexes. The effect on tumour spread, if present, was always enhancing. Thus the effect of the two treatments on tumour growth was not similar to that on tumour spread. On some occasions the effects were even opposite to each other.