Engraftment of precursor lesions of human cutaneous neoplasms onto C.B-17 SCID mice: A useful in vivo experimental model of carcinogenesis in human skin

Abstract

Using a full-thickness skin grafting technique, lesional skin from various human neoplastic and preneoplastic skin diseases was transplanted onto SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice. Of 27 grafted lesions, 21 were successfully accepted by the mice and maintained in good condition. All these accepted grafts were finally excised 10–101 days after transplantation for histological examination. In most grafts, the characteristic histological configurations of each disease were well preserved. Immunohistochemical study using monoclonal antibodies to human blood group antigens ABH revealed that some elements of the grafts such as sweat glands were clearly positive, confirming that the tissue was from human skin. Neoplastic (atypical) cells were detected in 9 of 17 accepted grafts containing neoplastic cells from the beginning. The detection rates for neoplastic cells were very high (90%) in grafts from precursor lesions of squamous cell carcinomas such as Bowen's disease (5/5 specimens) and thermal keratosis (2/3). In contrast, no definite neoplastic cells were found in two grafts from extramammary Paget's disease and five grafts from the radial growth component of malignant melanoma. In most of the grafts from latter two diseases, characteristic histological configurations such as elongation of the rete ridges were maintained, suggesting that the neoplastic cells were selectively eliminated from the grafts. Split-thickness grafts of normal human skin were accepted and remained in a good condition for as long as 6 months. Engraftment of human lesional and non-lesional skin onto SCID mice therefore may well provide a useful in vivo experimental model of human skin diseases.