Protocol for surgical stress-promoted colorectal cancer liver metastasis in mice

Although hepatectomy can be therapeutic, ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) caused by temporary interruption of blood flow creates an inflammatory microenvironment that facilitates tumor-cell seeding and postoperative metastasis. Here, we present a protocol for combining hepatic I/R in mice with portal vein injection of syngeneic colorectal cancer cells. We describe steps for injecting tumor cells under anesthesia, transiently occluding hepatic blood flow, and monitoring liver metastasis. This model recapitulates tumor-host interactions and enables investigation of surgical stress-promoted colorectal cancer liver metastasis (CRLM). For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Zhang Y et al.¹.