AUTORADIOGRAPHIC STUDY ON LOCALIZATION OF FIBRINOGEN IN RABBIT LUNG CANCER

Abstract

The distribution of ¹³¹I-labeled fibrinogen was studied by macro- and microautoradiography in 10 rabbits bearing lung cancer induced by intrabronchial infusion of 3-methylcholanthrene and 4-nitroquinoline 1-oxide or 3-methylcholanthrene alone.
The localization of fibrinogen was invariably observed in the non-cancerous pulmonary tissues around and adjacent to the induced cancer tissues, irrespective of histological type of cancer tissues. However, the localization of fibrinogen in cancer tissue itself was observed in a few rabbits and it was observed limitedly in the interstitial spaces and desquamated cells.
The extrapulmonary tumors by the transpleural invasion of the induced cancer showed the most preferential localization of fibrinogen.
From these results, it may be concluded that fibrinogen localization in and around the cancer tissue of rabbits resulted from deposition in cancer tissue itself and an interaction of tumor tissues with the host. It seems reasonable to postulate that similar events would occur in human patients with lung cancer because no distinct difference lies in macro- and micro-scopic findings of lung cancer between humans and rabbits.