A comparative study of the influence of malignant tumor on host metabolism in mice and man: evaluation of an experimental model.

Metabolic alterations in skeletal muscles and liver tissue from cancer patients were compared with corresponding alterations in mice (C-57) with sarcoma (MCG-101). In tumor-bearing man and mice similar changes in enzyme activities and in protein turnover were found. Glycolytic and oxidative enzyme activities were decreased in skeletal muscle tissue. Tumor-associated increase in lysosomal enzyme activities was found in both species. Leucine was incorporated into skeletal muscle proteins at a lower rate and into hepatic proteins at a higher rate in both species with malignant tumor. In tumor-bearing mice ribosome profiles from skeletal muscle, heart muscle and liver showed a preponderance of slowly sedimenting units of polyribosomes suggesting that initiation of protein synthesis may be a rate limiting step. The metabolic host reactions in tumor-bearing mice were similar to those in cancer patients implying that experimental tumors are relevant to use for analysis of mechanisms behind the development of cancer cachexia in man.