Comparison of growth of human bladder cancer in tissue culture or as xenografts with clinical and pathological characteristics

Seventy-four biopsies of human bladder carcinoma were assessed by implantation as xenografts in immune-deprived mice and/or by culture of cell suspensions in agar or methylcellulose. The quality of the cell suspensions was assessed immediately after plating in vitro. The results were compared with the pathological stage and grade of the biopsies and with the clinical course of the disease in patients from whom the biopsies were obtained. We found that (a) progressively growing xenografts were generated from 20 of 53 biopsies (38%). These xenografts grew with mean volume doubling times in the range of 1 to 3 weeks; all of them examined histologically were consistent with transitional cell carcinoma. (b) Colony formation occurred from 21 of 49 cell suspensions (43%), and plating efficiency was in the range of 0.0004 to 1.7%. The majority of cell suspensions were found to have residual small clusters of cells. Colony formation sometimes originated from these clusters, an effect that would be expected to introduce artifacts when the in vivo cloning assay is used for chemosensitivity testing. (c) There was no evident correlation between expression of clonal growth in vitro and success of xenografting, and no correlation between the results of either of these experimental procedures with stage, grade, or clinical course of the disease. Further improvements in tissue culture and xenograft technology will be required before these methods can be used as a guide to patient management.