[Establishing a new human neuroblastoma animal model for development of adjuvant therapy methods and for study of...

We developed a human neuroblastoma animal model in nude rats, which shows high analogy to clinical stage IV disease. 10(7) LAN-1 human neuroblastoma cells were injected in the aorta of nude rats (rnu/rnu). After 5 weeks 6/6 rats developed invasive tumors in the adrenal gland (0.5-3 cm). Micrometastases (1-2 mm) were found in the liver (3 of 6 rats) and the femur (4 of 6 rats). This observation corresponds to the typical clinical finding of advanced neuroblastoma in the adrenal gland and small diffuse liver/bone metastases. A proliferation index of 80% was found in adrenal gland tumors and micrometastases. However, the number of apoptotic cells was different (5% and 50%, respectively). This animal model in nude rats can be used to evaluate the potential of new immunotherapeutic concepts with cytotoxic antibodies and to study the development of metastases.