An animal model for human osteosarcoma

Osteosarcomas formed in antilymphocyte serum (ALS)-treated hamsters when 2x10(6) TE-85 human osteosarcoma cells (maintained in tissue culture) infected with M-MSV (RD-114) virus were injected adjacent to the femur or the scapula; undifferentiated sarcomas formed when 1 x 10(6) cells were injected subcutaneously. Tumors were palpable 10 to 14 days after the cells were injected and grew progressively until the animals died (mean survival time was 30 days). All animals had pulmonary metastases. Neither the subcutaneous sarcomas nor the metastases contained bone or osteoid; however, the osteosarcomas adjacent ot the femur and scapula contained collagen, osteoid and calcified bone when observed by light and electron microscopy. These results indicate that the TE-85-M-MSV cell-ALS hamster system is an animal model for the study of osteosarcomas of human cell origin.