Human antibody SC-1 reduces disseminated tumor cells in nude mice with human gastric cancer

• Published in: Oncology reports Vol. 13; no. 4; p. 765
• Main Authors: Illert, Bertram, Otto, Christoph, Vollmers, H Peter, Hensel, Frank, Thiede, Arnulf, Timmermann, Wolfgang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece 01.04.2005
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies, Monoclonal - pharmacology; Bone Marrow Cells - metabolism; CD55 Antigens - biosynthesis; Cell Line, Tumor; Disease Models, Animal; DNA, Complementary - metabolism; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin M - chemistry; Immunotherapy - methods; Intermediate Filament Proteins - blood; Intermediate Filament Proteins - metabolism; Keratin-20; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Stomach Neoplasms - therapy; Time Factors
• ISSN: 1021-335X
• DOI: 10.3892/or.13.4.765

Advanced gastric cancer is a systemic disease that requires adjuvant therapy targeted at eliminating disseminated tumor cells (DTCs). We investigated whether the apoptosis-inducing human monoclonal IgM antibody SC-1 was able to reduce the number of disseminated gastric cancer cells in blood and bone marrow. Human gastric tumor specimens with positive expression of the SC-1 receptor were transplanted in nude mice with metastasizing gastric cancer. After tumor growth (4-6 weeks) animals were randomly allocated to intraperitoneal 100 microg SC-1 (n=23) or 100 microg human IgM (n=23). One week later, animals were sacrificed and blood and bone marrow specimens were obtained. A nested RT-PCR for cytokeratin 20 (CK-20) from blood and bone marrow of mice was performed for detection of disseminated tumor cells. Animals receiving SC-1 had significantly fewer DTCs than did control animals (p=0.0011). None of the SC-1 mice had DTCs simultaneously in both blood and bone marrow versus four of the control animals (p=0.0363). The reduction of DTCs in SC-1 animals was due to reduction in bone marrow (p=0.032 compared to controls), but not in blood (p=0.1158). Treatment with SC-1 significantly reduced the number of DTCs in bone marrow in this animal model.