Tumor Microenvironment in Human Tumor Xenografted Mouse Models
Pages 159-166
Mariana Varna, Philippe Bertheau and Luc G. Legrès
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.6000/1927-7229.2014.03.03.6
Published: 12 August 2014

Abstract: Tumor microenvironment, known to exert regulatory functions on tumor cells, plays an important role when a human tumor is xenografted into immunodeficient mice. Primary human tumors xenografts represent a promising strategy to study new therapeutic’s efficacy or to understand the mechanisms implicated in tumor relapse.

The development of xenografts is linked not only to the aggressivity of the tumor cells, but also to the tumor microenvironment. Tumor xenograft cell proliferation is dependent on microenvironment modifications such as angiogenesis and human blood vessel replacement, host immune cells and the presence of growth factors.

The characterisation and a better knowledge of these factors allow for a more appropriate use of xenograft animal models in the evaluation of new antitumor treatments.

In this review, we describe the different factors linked to the tumor microenvironment and their impact on the take rate when human tumors are xenografted into immunodeficient mice.