ABSTRACT
In a discussion on the transplantability of tumors, it is necessary first to define "tumor take", particularly as the meaning of this term seems to vary considerably between different laboratories. The fact that immunodeficient nude animals are prone to attract various viral and bacterial infections is well known to be an important determinant in tumor take and growth. Tumor tissue has been transplanted to various s.c. sites in the mouse, including the fat-pads in the axilla or in the mammary region. In patients, malignant tumors differ in their content of viable tumor cells, which depends on factors such as the tumor type, size, and blood supply. Tumors are known to display Gompertzian growth patterns, that is, sigmoid-shaped growth curves. The growth fraction of a tumor in that patient and in the tissue as a xenograft is one indicator of the probability for successful transplantation.
