The historical development, and more recent advances in the use of xenografts of human tumours as potential models for the study of human cancer are described and discussed. The practicality of the various systems available are critically reviewed, as well as their potential application in the field of experimental chemotherapy. Emphasis is given to the fact that over two decades of research effort has hardly produced any results of clinical relevance, often because workers have been too carried away with their technical achievements to appreciate the rules of experimental chemotherapy. The role of human tumour xenografts in the study of human cancer is appreciated, but the development of newer syngeneic, differentiated animal models may lessen their importance in the field of experimental chemotherapy.
本文描述并讨论了将人类肿瘤异种移植用作人类癌症研究潜在模型的历史发展以及最近的进展。对现有各种系统的实用性进行了批判性综述，以及它们在实验化疗领域的潜在应用。重点强调了二十多年的研究努力几乎没有产生任何具有临床相关性的结果这一事实，这往往是因为研究人员过于陶醉于他们的技术成就而无法领会实验化疗的规则。人类肿瘤异种移植在人类癌症研究中的作用是得到认可的，但更新的同基因、分化动物模型的发展可能会降低它们在实验化疗领域的重要性。
