[Characteristics of human choriocarcinoma transplanted in nude mice (author's transl)]

Experimental chemotherapy with choriocarcinoma transplanted in nude mice has been studying to improve the prognosis of drug resistant choriocarcinoma. In this paper the characteristics of transplanted tumors were presented. Two tumors, CC-HM-I (HM) and CC-I-JCK (JCK), were used. The characteristics of the tumors were studied in macroscopical findings, histological findings, growth curves, DNA amount analysis, LDH activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and their isozyme patterns. Both tumors well maintained the characteristics of original and/or the beginning ones. Some differences between two tumors were pointed out. In morphology, HM was yellowish and hard tumor and the growth rate was rather slow. While, JCK was dark and soft tumor and contained a lot of bleeding and necrotic tissue. Its growth rate was quick and all of nude mice with JCK died of tumors around 50 days after transplantation. The serum level of HCG of HM was 75.8 +/- 2.8 ng/ml/g tumor and that of JCK was 117.4 +/- 6.2 ng/ml/g tumor. The good correlation between the tumor weight and the serum level of HCG was obtained in both groups. The activities of LDH and alkaline phosphatase in the tissues of JCK were about 3 times as higher as the one of HM. It was confirmed that the transplanted choriocarcinoma in nude mice was useful model for the study the nature of human choriocarcinoma and it will contribute to the establishment of the rational chemotherapy for drug resistant choriocarcinoma.