M. S. Hu1, T. Leavitt1, J. Gonzalez1, C. Marshall1, S. Malhotra1, L. Barnes1, A. T. Cheung1, G. G. Walmsley1, G. Gurtner1, A. J. Giaccia1, P. Lorenz1, M. T. Longaker1 1Stanford University,School Of Medicine,Palo Alto, CA, USA
Introduction:
We previously demonstrated that the placement of an adjacent splinted full-thickness excisional wound will inhibit human xenograft tumor growth in an immunocompromised mouse by outcompeting for neovascularization. Herein, we further explore this fascinating observation by placement of a full-thickness excisional wound both adjacent and directly over a mouse allograft tumor
Methods:
Mouse breast cancer 4T1 cells (5 x 104) were injected into the left mid-dorsum of BALB/c mice. After engraftment was confirmed at 7 days, either a splinted full-thickness excisional wound was created adjacent to the tumor on the right mid-dorsum or an unsplinted full-thickness excisional wound was created directly over the engrafted tumor. Wounds were 6 mm in diameter. Tumor growth was assessed via 3-way caliper measurements taken every other day.
Results:
Tumors with an adjacent splinted full-thickness excisional wound were smaller than control tumors without a wound at 28 days post-wounding with a volume of 4639.14 mm3 versus 3742.32 mm3 and a weight of 3.27 g versus 2.47 g, respectively (*p<0.05). In addition, mice that had tumors and unsplinted full-thickness excisional wounds created directly over the tumor had inhibited growth and prolonged survival compared to mice with tumors alone (*p<0.05).
Conclusion:
These data show that placement of a full-thickness excisional wound adjacent to or directly over a tumor inhibits growth in an immune competent mouse allograft tumor model. These data have novel implications for ulcerated tumors and tumors that undergo an incomplete surgical resection. Further research promises to identify the mechanism for this inhibition.