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A Mouse Model of Incompletely Resected Soft Tissue Sarcoma for Testing Neoadjuvant Therapies
Published on: July 28, 2020
Spontaneous soft tissue tumours in aged mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp)
Martina Bleyer1, Ute Radespiel2, Annette Klein2
1Pathology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany.
Abstract:
Mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp) are small Madagascan strepsirrhine primates increasingly used as an animal model in ageing research. During a period of 10 years, neoplastic disease occurred in 47 grey (Microcebus murinus) and Goodman's (Microcebus lehilahtsara) mouse lemurs from a captive colony in Germany. Approximately half of these tumours appeared histologically as soft tissue tumours (STTs) with a significantly higher proportion of STTs in Goodman's mouse lemurs (87.5%) compared with grey mouse lemurs (38.5%) (P ≤0.025). Most STTs grew subcutaneously in old or senile animals and were commonly located on the trunk, less often on the head and rarely at visceral sites. The majority of STTs were of fibrous or myofibroblastic origin, followed by undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcomas and extraskeletal chondro-osseous neoplasia. Histological grading of malignant STTs revealed all but one as grade II or III, with more than 60% being grade III. Female mouse lemurs of both species were affected significantly more often by grade II and III tumours than males (P = 0.0412). This study gives a comprehensive overview of the spectrum of mesenchymal neoplastic disease in mouse lemurs and highlights some histomorphological characteristics of spontaneous STTs in this small non-human primate species.
Insights
Soft tissue tumors (STTs) commonly affect aging mouse lemurs, particularly Goodman
Area of Science:
- Comparative Pathology
- Primate Oncology
- Aging Research Models
Background:
- Mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) are valuable models in aging research.
- Neoplastic diseases have been observed in captive mouse lemur colonies.
- Soft tissue tumors (STTs) represent a significant portion of these neoplasms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comprehensively review mesenchymal neoplastic diseases in mouse lemurs.
- To characterize the histomorphology of spontaneous STTs in this primate model.
- To identify risk factors and prevalence of STTs in different mouse lemur species and sexes.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of neoplastic disease in a 10-year period.
- Histopathological examination and grading of tumors.
- Statistical comparison of STT occurrence between species and sexes.
Main Results:
- STTs occurred in approximately half of the neoplastic cases (47/94).
- Goodman's mouse lemurs showed a higher proportion of STTs (87.5%) than grey mouse lemurs (38.5%).
- Most STTs were subcutaneous, fibrous/myofibroblastic, and high-grade (II/III); females were more affected than males.
Conclusions:
- Mouse lemurs, especially Goodman's mouse lemurs, are prone to developing high-grade STTs.
- These findings contribute to understanding spontaneous tumors in non-human primates used for aging research.
- Further investigation into the pathogenesis and risk factors for STTs in mouse lemurs is warranted.
