Animal welfare and colony management in cancer research

Abstract

The use of animals in cancer research continues to be important for the study of tumor biology, the development and testing of new therapies, and risk assessment. The new knowledge generated from this research contributes to the health and welfare not only of human beings, but also of animals which develop cancer. However, the use of animals for cancer research is a privilege which carries with it scientific, professional, and moral obligations. The three tenets of a sound animal research program include good science, humane care, and regulatory compliance. Recognizing the complex interactions in the tumor-animal model, the investigator needs to address a wide range of issues during experimental design and implementation including animal welfare concerns, complicating factors in colony management, and compliance with laws, regulations, and policies. Therefore, both practical and philosophical considerations enjoin researchers to maintain the highest standards of animal care.

Humane Endpoints and Cancer Research

“…Experimental protocols should be subjected to statistical review to ensure that they employ refined experimental technique and use the minimum number of animals to produce valid scientific results (Gart et al;1986;Hanfelt 1997). Management of the experimental cancer program and animal care must also be considered (Schiffer 1997). Pilot experiments, dose range finding studies, or a staged experimental approach using a small number of animals can help determine the response to an unknown or novel experimental challenge and provide data to develop scientific and humane endpoints for later studies using larger groups of animals.…”

“…The strain, sex, age, health status, and genetic background of the host animal are additional variables that can influence tumor development. The genetic and microbiologic status of the tumor cell lines and the animal recipients should be ascertained to avoid experimental artifacts (McKisic et al 1996;Schiffer 1997). Transplantable tumors may be induced orthotopically, in the tissue or site of origin, or ectopically, usually subcutaneously in the flanks or by intravenous injection.…”

Onco-epidemiology of domestic animals and targeted therapeutic attempts: perspectives on human oncology

“…We summarized such models in Table 1 according to the review from De Vico et al ( 2005 ). Conversely, in vivo and in vitro models, based on rodents and cell lines, have displayed intrinsic limits, such as complexity of management (Schiffer 1997 ) and the experimental methods used to induce the pathology (Vail and Thamm 2004 ), which make them different from the human spontaneous diseases (De Vico et al 2005 ; Moore and Siopes 2004 ).…”

Creation of porcine liver tumour using human hepatoma cell lines: Experimental study

“…The genetic and microbiologic status of the tumor cell lines and the animal recipients should be ascertained to avoid experimental artefacts. 4 Transplantable tumors may be induced orthotopically, in the tissue or site of origin, or ectopically, usually subcutaneously in the flanks or by intravenous injection. Changing the inoculation site may change the growth characteristics of the tumors.…”