SURVIVAL OF HEMATOGENOUSLY DISSEMINATED ALLOGENEIC TUMOR CELLS IN ATHYMIC NUDE MICE

Abstract

Although nu/nu mice were unable to reject skin or s.c. tumor allografts they did not support the growth of the same tumor cells on i.v. injection. Nu/+ littermates resisted skin and s.c. tumor allografts yet permitted the growth of allogeneic tumor cells in the lung. Nu/nu mice injected i.v. with 1 .times. 107 nu/+ lymphocytes 24 h before tumor challenge rejected an s.c. injection of B16 melanoma. These same lymphocyte reconstituted nu/nu mice did not support the growth of lung tumor colonies although initial arrest of tumor emboli in lungs was increased as compared to nonlymphocyte treated nu/nu mice. The results agree with recent findings demonstrating that fewer pulmonary tumor colonies developed in nu/nu mice as compared to their nu/+ littermates after i.v. injection of syngeneic tumor cells. Nonimmunological factors are probably responsible for the poor growth of hematogenously disseminated allogeneic tumor cells in nu/nu mice.