Peritoneal carcinomatosis in mouse models

Abstract

Peritoneal carcinomatosis (PCa) represents a metastatic stage of a disease with unmet therapeutic options. Malignant cells from primary tumors (gastrointestinal or gynecologic malignancies) invade the peritoneal cavity and eventually seed onto peritoneal surfaces, with the omentum being the most common nest area. With a median survival of less than 6 months, PCa has a dismal prognosis that can be improved with treatments only available to a select few individuals with low tumor burden. Thus, the discovery of novel and effective therapies for this disease depends on reliable animal models. Here, we describe a method to generate syngeneic PCa mouse models based on intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of tumor cells. This model allows to follow-up cancer progression in PCa models from ovarian and colorectal origins monitoring mice bodyweight changes, ascites development and overall survival. Moreover, luciferase-expressing tumor cells can also be used to assess tumor growth after i.p. injection through in vivo bioluminescence quantification. The establishment of reliable, easy-to-monitor and reproducible intraperitoneal syngeneic tumors models, as described here, is the first step to develop cutting-edge therapies against PCa.

Keywords: Animal models; Ascites; Omentum; Peritoneal carcinomatosis; Tumor models.