Patient Derived Chicken Egg Tumor Model (PDcE Model): Current Status and Critical Issues

Chorioallantoic membrane assay (CAM assay) using fertilized chicken eggs has been used for the study of tumor formation, angiogenesis and metastasis. Recently, there is growing realization that this system provides a valuable assay for a patient-derived tumor model. Several reports establish that tumor samples from cancer patients can be used to reproduce tumor in the chicken egg. High transplantation efficiency has been achieved. In this review, we discuss examples of transplanting patient tumors. We then discuss critical issues that need to be addressed to pursue this line of experiments. The patient-derived chicken egg model (PDcE model) has an advantage over other models in its rapid tumor formation. This raises the possibility that the PDcE model is valuable for identifying optimum drug for each individual patient.