DISTRIBUTION OF TUMORS IN VARIOUS ORGANS FOLLOWING THE TRANSPLANTATION INTO THE LEFT CHAMBER OF THE HEART

STUDIES WITH THE YOSHIDA SARCOMA AND THE ASCITES HEPATOMA

Abstract

1) The tumor ascites containing a large amount of free tumor cells of the Yoshida sarcoma (29 cases) and of the ascites hepatoma (22 cases) were transplanted into the left chamber of the heart of the rat, and the the state of formation of tumors in various organs was studied. Then a comparison of both tumors was made.
2) The transplantation of more than 300, 000, 000 tumor cells of the Yoshida sarcoma causes the death of animals transplanted in few minutes after the injection, but in such cases the tumor cells were evenly distributed in all organs examined.
3) The animals can survive the transplantation of about 10, 000, 000 cells (about 0.05cc ascitic fluid) of the Yoshida sarcoma into the left chamber of the heart: the state of the tumor formation in various organs was investigated in such animals. In the case of the ascites hepatoma similar amount of ascitic fluid was transplanted and the organs were examined in the same way.
4) In the case of the Yoshida sarcoma conspicuous tumor formations in 6 to 20, days after the transplantation in such organs as the kidney, bone marrow, liver, stomach, intestine and thymus gland may be emphasized in comparison with that of the ascites hepatoma which is characterized by remarkable tumor increase in the brain and eye-ball. In the lymph nodes, heart, ovary, adrenal and pancreas evident tumor formation was noted in both tumors.
5) It was evidently demonstrated in this experiment that the rapidity of the tumor growth differed remarkably according to the various conditions of various organs, though the tumor cells were mechanically evenly distributed to every part of the body by the way of the arterial blood stream. The conditions may not be explained only by mechanical factors because of the predilecting organs of the sarcoma and the carcinoma as described above. But, at the same time, the experience may be remembered, that the tumors, when transplanted directly into any place, they grow at the site of the transplantation.
6) In these experiments, especially in that of the ascites hepatoma wide-spread hematogenous metastases of the lymph nodes were demonstrated. It may be considered that this fact affords one of the significant materials with which to explain the retrograde lymphogenous metastasis.
7) The above-mentioned findings were obtained by the experiments of the transplantation into the left chamber of the heart. In some cases the transplantation was made into the right chamber of the heart or into the femoral vein. The findings were as follows.
In the case of the ascites hepatoma almost all tumor cells were trapped in the capillaries of the lungs, and a significant tumor formation in the lungs arose, but few or no tumors in any other organ. However, in the case of the Yoshida sarcoma there occurred no significant difference. This may be due to the fact that in the case of the Yoshida sarcoma free tumor cells could easily pass through the capillaries of the lungs into the systematic arteries.