A feasible, simple and convenient model for study of rectal carcinoma

The method of building a rabbit rectal VX2 carcinoma model by injecting the cell suspension of VX2 cells into the wall of the rectum guided by X-ray fluoroscopy is feasible. The advantages of the model are ease of establishment, short growth period, and high stability. The rectal VX2 carcinoma established in this rabbit model is similar to human rectal carcinoma in aspects of pathological representation, tumor development, and metastasis. It offers an ideal major animal model for the study of rectal carcinoma, and especially profits the study of the staging of rectal carcinoma in imaging. A research article to be published on May 7, 2009 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research, led by Dr. Cheng from Department of Radiology, the Tenth People's Hospital of Shanghai Tong Ji University, is to establish a rabbit model of rectal VX2 carcinoma for a feasible, simple, and convenient method for the study of rectal carcinoma. Currently, the experimental animal models for the research of rectal carcinoma are often established using induction of chemical carcinogen, and little murid is most often used. This kind of methods requires lots of time and individual variations can be very large. Overall it is difficult to obtain consistent, single tumor which are representative of the course of rectal disease in humans, and it is adverse to perform the research of rectal carcinoma.

The method of building a rabbit rectal VX2 carcinoma model by injecting the suspension of VX2 cells into the wall of the rectum guided by X-ray fluoroscopy is feasible. The advantages of the rectal VX2 carcinoma established in this rabbit model are ease of establishment, short growth period, and high stability.

The model is repeatable and can be monitored dynamically using imaging provided by CT and MRI. It profits the research of rectal carcinoma, especially in the aspect of rectal carcinoma's staging in imaging.

Many studies have described the implantation of the VX2 cell strain into the muscle, kidney, lung, pleural, ossature, and mammary gland of rabbit in order to produce an in situ tumor model that mimics the human condition for research of possible treatments. The implantation technique using VX2 cells which included implanting a little lump of VX2 tumor tissue or injection of the suspension of VX2 cells directly by surgery, and injection of the suspension of VX2 cells guided by B-mode ultrasonics or CT is reliable.

Both the Sixth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the Tenth People's Hospital of Shanghai Tong Ji University are general hospital and teaching hospital. The Department of Radiology of the Sixth People's Hospital of Shanghai Jiao Tong University has set one study organization(Institute of Imaging Medical of Shanghai Jiao Tong University), two clinic parts(department of image and the center of neurointerventional), and five second branches(head and neck, musculoskeletal, chest, abdomen and interventional).

Source: World Journal of Gastroenterology