Establishment of autochthonous xenograft model of Wilm's tumor in Iran and its application in development of preclinical studies

Wilm's tumor (nephroblastoma) is the most common renal malignancy of childhood. This cancer is considered as an embryonal neoplasm that arises from nephrogenic blastemal. Despite advances in therapeutic success, survival rate is still not satisfactory in tumors with unfavorable histology and recurrent cases. On the other hand, late adverse effects of chemotherapy threaten the life of Wilm's tumor survivors. The present study aimed to establish a patient-derived tumor tissue xenograft for utilizing in individualized chemosensitivity assay. Fresh tumor specimens of 4 patients with Wilm's tumor were obtained by cytoreductive surgery, and after primary culture and initial purification of neoplastic cells, the cells of each tumor were subcutaneously inoculated to 10 athymic nude mice. Growth characteristics of established models were assessed and the tumors were studied by light microscopy. Tumor take rate was reported 70%. Pathological examination illustrated the presence of all epithelial, stromal and blastemal parts in H&E staining. Immunohistochemical study with CK, desmin, myogenin, WT-1 and vimentin markers confirmed nephroblastoma. Histopathological study approved the validity of patient-derived tumor tissue xenograft model of Wilm's tumor. Since this model has been established for the first time in Iran, thus it can be considered as a useful research tool for personalized treatment of nephroblastoma and chemoresistance assays.