An organ culture system designed to study interaction of fetal rat calvaria with human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

The development of permanent cell lines of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in culture has enabled these cell lines to be used to investigate the interaction of the tumor cells with bone. After the squamous carcinoma lines on fetal rat skulls were implanted the explants with their added tumor were maintained in long-term tissue culture by use of the procedures developed for growing these tumor cells. Results confirm direct interaction with the bone by the malignant cells. Specific surface and cytoplasmic markers have been demonstrated by use of monoclonal antibodies against the tumor cells. Furthermore, tumor angiogenesis without the addition of any endogenous endothelial components has been verified. Investigations into the degree of bone infiltration and susceptibility of these interacting tumor cells to various factors, radiation therapy, and chemotherapeutic agents have been carried out. The establishment of a model system for bony invasion by squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck permits the investigation of the mechanism of tumor invasion and the study of various potential treatment modalities.