Figure 2
The kinetics of disseminated tumour growth in xenografted mice. (A) The volumes of individual tumours were determined in T2 axial (lung tumours) and T2 sagittal (all others) WB sequences in NOD/scid mice at time points 1, 2, 3, and 4. Extrapulmonary tumour manifestations were categorised by localisation to leg bones, skeletal trunk bones (pelvis, vertebral column), kidneys and/or suprarenal gland, and soft tissue. For lungs, each line corresponds to one mouse, as volumes of all tumour lesions were combined for each affected lung. For all other sites, each line reflects one individual tumour. Lung tumour volumes increased between TPs 1 and 2 (P<0.001) and TPs 2 and 3 (P<0.001). Femur/tibia tumours and pelvic tumours increased between TPs 1 and 2 (P<0.001 and P=0.031, respectively). Kidney tumours increased between TPs 1 and 2 (P<0.001), 2 and 3 (P<0.001), and 3 and 4 (P<0.001). (B) Lung tumours were counted in T2 axial WB sequences in NOD/scid mice at TPs 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each line represents one mouse. In addition, boxplots represent the tumour number of the evaluable mice at each TP. Brackets represent statistically noticeable differences (P⩽0.05) of the Wilcoxon-signed rank tests. Circles symbolise outliers; asterisks show extreme values. (C) Sequential MRI scans of one individual mouse demonstrate the progressive pulmonary involvement over time. The number and size of metastases that are detected as hyperintense manifestations in the dark lung in axial T2 images increases over time. Photodocumentation (to the right) of mice upon autopsy confirms the MRI findings, showing white-blueish metastases within the reddish lung tissue.
