A Preclinical Model of Simultaneous Breast and Ovarian Cancer in a Rat.

Breast and ovarian cancer are diagnosed in roughly 200,000 and 22,000 women per year, respectively, in the United States alone. Women who are at an increased risk for or have been diagnosed with breast cancer are often at an increased risk for ovarian cancer, and vise versa. Present technology involves animal models with either breast or ovarian cancer, which allows only for the testing of chemopreventive agents on one disease while neglecting the other. The rat model developed here has been applied with carcinogenic agents to both the ovary and mammary glands so that it simultaneously develops preneoplastic and neoplastic changes in both locations. Also included in this technology is an improved surgical technique for applying carcinogens to the ovary.

This rat model allows simultaneous testing and development of prevention drugs for both breast and ovarian cancer. The efficacy of chemopreventive agents can now be evaluated on both types of cancer, since the risk of one type increases with the risk or diagnosis of the other. In addition, the derivation of tumors resulting from the improved surgical technique for applying carcinogenic agents to the ovary mimics the derivation of ovarian tumors in humans more than existing ovarian cancer models.

File Number: 06KUMC012 

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