Tumor bed effect in murine tumors: relationship to tumor take and tumor macrophage content

This study investigated whether the clonogenic ability of tumor cells to establish subcutaneous tumors and the tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) content correlate with the development and extent of the tumor bed effect (TBE). Ten tumors, five sarcomas and five carcinomas, syngeneic to C3Hf/Kam mice were used. Tumors were grown subcutaneously in the right thighs of mice that had or had not been irradiated with 20 Gy of gamma rays 1 day before tumor cell transplantation. Of the 10 tumors, 7 exhibited a significant TBE. The severity of the TBE, which varied greatly among these tumors, was significantly positively correlated (correlation coefficient = 0.81) with TD50 values (i.e., the number of tumor cells needed to produce tumors in 50% of injected sites). In addition, a trend toward a negative correlation between degree of TBE and TAM content was apparent. The implication of these results is that tumors with high clonogenic ability (low TD50 values) and high macrophage content are less likely to demonstrate the TBE. The data suggest that tumor angiogenic potential, provided by both tumor cells and TAM, is an important parameter in the development of the TBE.