Vascular structure of five human malignant melanomas grown in athymic nude mice

Abstract

Summary.-The vascular structure of 5 human malignant melanomas grown in athymic nude mice was characterized. The vessels were filled with a radio-opaque medium administered via the abdominal aorta of the mice. X-ray images, obtained from 720gum-thick tumour sections, provided qualitative information on the vascular structure of the tumours. Histograms for vessel length, surface, and volume as a function of vessel diameter were obtained by stereological analysis of 2,um-thick sections. The volume fraction of necrotic tissue in the tumours was also determined by stereological analysis. The 5 melanomas exhibited individual, characteristic vascular structures as well as individual, characteristic necrotic fractions. The total vessel length ranged from 32 + 2 to 80 + 4 mm, the total vessel surface from 1 6 + 0 1 to 3 8 + 0-2 mm2, and the total vessel volume from 0 009 + 0 001 to 0-022 + 0-002 mm3-all values per mm3 histologically intact tumour tissue. The necrotic fractions ranged from 30+1 to 49+4O %, and tended to be higher in the poorly than in the wellvascularized melanomas. The volume doubling times ranged from 4-2 to 216 days. Melanomas with short volume-doubling times had lower necrotic fractions and tended to be better vascularized than those with long volume-doubling times.

Tumour growth delay following single dose irradiation of human melanoma xenografts. Correlations with tumour growth parameters, vascular structure and cellular radiosensitivity

“…Fraction of cells in S-phase and DNA-index were calculated from DNA-histograms obtained by flow cytometry (Lindmo & Steen, 1977;Rofstad et al, 1982). Vascular parameters were determined by stereological analysis of histological sections from tumours whose vascular system was filled with a contrast medium (Solesvik et al, 1982). Results and discussion Variability in radiation response Growth curves for irradiated and unirradiated tumours are presented in Figure 1.…”

“…The studies have been concentrated on 5 different lines of xenografts of similar histology, which originated from tumours in 5 different patients. These xenograft tumour lines show individuality with respect to: characteristic growth patterns ; vascular structures (Solesvik et al, 1982); and, X-ray survival curves following irradiation in vitro (Rofstad & Brustad, 1981 Five different human melanomas (E.E., E.F., G.E., M.F., V.N. ), which each were derived from metastases of patients at The Norwegian Radium Hospital, were studied in the present work.…”

Vascularity in cutaneous melanoma detected by Doppler sonography and histology: Correlation with tumour behaviour

“…Animal experiments suggest that there is a proportionate increase in the neovascularisation of melanoma with progressive tumour growth (Solesvik et al, 1982). We have previously shown that thick melanomas have greater vascularity than thin lesions (Srivastava et al, 1986b).…”

Radiation and heat sensitivity of cells from two slowly growing human melanoma xenografts

“…and the R.A. melanomas. The origin and some biological characteristics of this xenograft have been reported previously (Rofstad et al, 1980;Solesvik et al, 1982). The E.E.…”