Characterization of a novel androgen-sensitive, prostate-specific antigen-producing prostatic carcinoma xenograft:...

Prostatic carcinoma has proven extremely difficult to establish as cell lines or xenografts. In this article, we describe a new series of prostate cancer xenografts propagated in athymic mice, designated LuCaP 23, developed from prostate metastases harvested at autopsy shortly after death. Tumor from three separate metastatic deposits was developed into three xenograft sublines: two from lymph node metastases (LuCaP 23.1 and 23.8) and one from a liver metastasis (LuCaP 23.12). Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis confirms the xenografts are human. Histologically, the xenografts are comprised of columnar epithelial cells arranged in a glandular pattern. Tumor doubling times range from 11 to 21 days for the three sublines. The cells secrete large amounts of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) with PSA indices of 1.27, 1.63, and 5.21 ng/ml/mm3 for the mice bearing the LuCaP 23.1, 23.8, and 23.12 sublines, respectively. Following androgen deprivation a temporary decrease in PSA secretion and a decrease in tumor size are noted in most tumors. Eventually, the tumors become androgen independent and resume growth in castrate hosts. The degree of PSA response to castration and time to PSA nadir correlate with time to progression. Thus, unlike most existing models of prostatic carcinoma, this novel xenograft exhibits many phenotypic characteristics of clinical prostatic carcinoma, including androgen sensitivity. These properties make this xenograft an excellent model for future study.