Setting up a wide panel of patient‐derived tumor xenografts of non–small cell lung cancer by improving the preanalytical steps

• Published in: Cancer medicine (Malden, MA) Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 201 - 211
• Main Authors: Ilie, Marius, Nunes, Manoel, Blot, Lydia, Hofman, Véronique, Long‐Mira, Elodie, Butori, Catherine, Selva, Eric, Merino‐Trigo, Ana, Vénissac, Nicolas, Mouroux, Jérôme, Vrignaud, Patricia, Hofman, Paul
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.02.2015; BlackWell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Adenocarcinoma; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Animals; Biomarkers; Cancer Research; Cancer therapies; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - genetics; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung - pathology; Cell culture; Chemotherapy; Consortia; Disease Models, Animal; Epidermal growth factor receptors; Female; Fibroblast growth factor receptor 1; Gene amplification; Gene expression; Heterografts; Histology; Hospitals; Humans; Immunodeficiency; Ischemia; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - genetics; Lung Neoplasms - pathology; Male; Medical research; Mice; Mice, Nude; Mice, SCID; Middle Aged; Molecular pathology; Multivariate analysis; Mutation; Neoplasm Transplantation; Non-small cell lung carcinoma; NSCLC; Original Research; Patients; PDX; preanalytical; PTEN protein; Sequence Analysis, DNA; Studies; Surgery; Survival Analysis; Tumors; Xenografts; France; Molecular pathology; NSCLC; PDX; preanalytical
• ISSN: 2045-7634; 2045-7634
• DOI: 10.1002/cam4.357

With the ongoing need to improve therapy for non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) there has been increasing interest in developing reliable preclinical models to test novel therapeutics. Patient‐derived tumor xenografts (PDX) are considered to be interesting candidates. However, the establishment of such model systems requires highly specialized research facilities and introduces logistic challenges. We aimed to establish an extensive well‐characterized panel of NSCLC xenograft models in the context of a long‐distance research network after careful control of the preanalytical steps. One hundred fresh surgically resected NSCLC specimens were shipped in survival medium at room temperature from a hospital‐integrated biobank to animal facilities. Within 24 h post‐surgery, tumor fragments were subcutaneously xenografted into immunodeficient mice. PDX characterization was performed by histopathological, immunohistochemical, aCGH and next‐generation sequencing approaches. For this model system, the tumor take rate was 35%, with higher rates for squamous carcinoma (60%) than for adenocarcinoma (13%). Patients for whom PDX tumors were obtained had a significantly shorter disease‐free survival (DFS) compared to patients for whom no PDX tumors (P = 0.039) were obtained. We established a large panel of PDX NSCLC models with a high frequency of mutations (29%) in EGFR, KRAS, NRAS, MEK1, BRAF, PTEN, and PI3KCA genes and with gene amplification (20%) of c‐MET and FGFR1. This new patient‐derived NSCLC xenograft collection, established regardless of the considerable time required and the distance between the clinic and the animal facilities, recapitulated the histopathology and molecular diversity of NSCLC and provides stable and reliable preclinical models for human lung cancer research. We established a patient‐derived NSCLC xenograft collection, regardless of the time required and the distance between the clinic and the animal facilities. This large PDX collection recapitulates the histopathology and molecular diversity of NSCLC and provides stable and reliable preclinical models for human lung cancer research.