Abstract 2769: DSRCT: Establishing xenograft and tissue culture cell lines and assessing chemosensitivity.

Abstract

Desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is an extremely rare and aggressive neoplasm which mainly affects young males and generally presents as a widely disseminated tumor within the peritoneal cavity. Due to the rarity of the tumor, a younger and overall healthier patient population, and because it lacks definitive histologic and immunohistologic features, it is possible that DSRCT is frequently delayed in diagnosis or is entirely misdiagnosed as a different kind of abdominal sarcoma. This study seeks to rectify the dearth of models that exist for this rare neoplasm through the development of several DSRCT tissue culture and xenograft lines. Samples were received from surgeries and biopsies from patients around the world and were immediately processed for xenograft development in nude mice. Tumor tissues were minced and fragments were injected onto the dorsal flank of nude mice. Of the 15 samples received, 9 were established into xenograft lines and 6 of those into tissue culture lines. Xenografts displayed the microscopic histology of their parent tumors and two different growth rates among established xenograft lines. Chemosensitivity of tumors was assessed against a variety of chemotherapeutic agents and IC50 values established for each drug and cell line. Interestingly, the cell lines were split into two distinct groups in terms of morphology, growth rate and chemosensitivity. Overall, the establishment of these xenograft and tissue culture lines gives researchers tools to evaluate DSRCT response to chemotherapy and investigate DSRCT-specific signaling pathways or mechanisms. Citation Format: Constantine SA Markides, Dana M. Vardeman, Linh Luong, Douglas R. Coil, Anthony Kozielski, John Mendoza, Beppino C. Giovanella. DSRCT: Establishing xenograft and tissue culture cell lines and assessing chemosensitivity. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2769. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-2769