Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cancer of the Meckel's diverticulum (MD) is extremely rare. It is often advanced at the time of operation and the prognosis is poor. An effective treatment for this cancer has not yet been developed and there is no MD-carcinoma mouse model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MD carcinoma was established as a patient-derived xenograft (PDX) in 5-week-old male nude mice by subcutaneous transplantation of surgical specimens together with surrounding normal tissue. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue sections of the original tumor resected from patients and transplanted tumors grown in nude mice. RESULTS: Three of five mice implanted with MD tumor fragments grew. MD-carcinoma histopathology, observed with H&E-stained tissue sections of the tumors grown in the mice and tumor from the original patient, was concordant. Both showed the luminal structures characteristic of MD carcinoma, and the lumens were filled with serous fluid. CONCLUSION: The first PDX mouse model of MD carcinoma has been established. The PDX model maintained MD-carcinoma histology of the tumor in the patient. The MD carcinoma mouse model will enable basic research on MD carcinoma, as well as the testing of novel therapeutic agents.