Changes in the gene expression profiling of the thymus in response to fibrosarcoma growth

The aim of this study was to determine whether subcutaneous injection of tumor cells into Balb-c mice, which induces a fibrosarcoma at the site of injection, produced a differential expression profile in the thymus that could be correlated with tumor growth. A dynamic transcriptional profile of the thymus in response to tumor development was observed using nylon cDNA microarrays. The Cluster-Tree View and the SAM programs were used to reveal induced and repressed genes during tumor growth. This experimental model-system showed that this approach is adequate to detect the presence of tumor cells in vivo.