Chemical Carcinogen (Dimethyl-benzanthracene) Induced Transplantable Cancer in Fanconi Anemia (Fanca-/-) Mice

Patients with radiation sensitive Fanconi anemia (FA) are presenting with cancers of the oral cavity, oropharynx, and other anatomic locations. Animal models for cancer in FA mice used orthotopic tumors from wild type mice. We derived a cancer cell line from Fanca-/- mice by topical application of the chemical carcinogen dimethyl benzanthracene (DMBA). A Fanca-/- mouse rhabdomyosarcoma was derived from a Fanca-/- (129/Sv) mouse. The in vitro clonogenic survival of the Fanca-/- clone 6 cancer cell line was consistent with the FA genotype. Transplanted tumors demonstrated hypoxic centers surrounded by senescent cells. This Fanca-/- mouse syngeneic cancer should provide a valuable resource for discovery and development of new normal tissue radioprotectors for patients with FA and cancer.