Investigations on a New Heterologous Tumor, "Budapest 1938," Successfully Propagated in Hungarian White Rats

Abstract

The first report of the successful propagation of a mammalian tumor in a foreign species was that of Putnoky (1). In 1929 in this laboratory he succeeded in transplanting an Ehrlich mouse carcinoma, kindly supplied by Professor Silberstein of Vienna, into rats previously treated with lactic acid. This tumor, which became known as the Ehrlich-Putnoky rat carcinoma, was grown continuously in rats for eight years and ten months, during which more than 300 passages were made, involving over 5000 animals. For a fuller account, see Putnoky's paper (2) in this journal. Unfortunately in August 1938 an outbreak of disease among our animals caused the loss of both the Silberstein strain and the rat-grown Ehrlich-Putnoky tumor. In October 1938 a new stain of the Ehrlich mouse carcinoma was obtained from the Veterinary School of Budapest and designated by us as Bp.V.S. (Fig. 1). This tumor was successfully transplanted into young rats, previously untreated, 11 takes being obtained among 12 animals in the first passage. Since the histologic findings in the 11 tumors were identical, the possibility of an accidental or spontaneous origin is excluded. Fragments of tumor free from necrosis and weighing 0.3 to 0.4 gm. were implanted subcutaneously every eighth day—two separate series, A and B, being maintained. The inoculated animals were kept on a bread and water diet from the time of transplantation.1