An experimental rat model of local bone cancer invasion and its responsiveness to ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-bis(phosphonate)

Line A Walker carcinoma differs from line B in that it does not elicit hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria when implanted in rats of various sites (s.c., i.m., intraaortically). However, Walker 256/A, unlike B, may invade the tibia when implanted i.m. in the adjacent gastrocnemius muscle. This invasion was evaluated by measuring the increased weight of the bone and decreased calcium concentration per unit weight of the tibia, by reduced opacity to X-ray, and by the presence of tumor cells in the compact bone cortex. Ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-bis(phosphonate), a diphosphonate derivative, at a dose of 10 to 30 mg/kg/day s.c., prevented cancer cell invasion of the tibia as judged by the above criteria. This inhibition was obtained with no apparent effect on the growth of Walker 256/A carcinoma.