Background/aim: Primary osteosarcoma of the breast is a very rare malignancy that shares histological features with osteosarcoma. It is also highly sensitive to methionine restriction due to methionine addiction. We previously established a patient-derived orthotopic xenograft (PDOX) nude-mouse model derived from tumor tissue of a patient with primary mammary osteosarcoma. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of oral-recombinant methioninase (o-rMETase), combined with rapamycin, an inhibitor of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase, on a mammary osteosarcoma PDOX nude-mouse model.
Materials and methods: The PDOX mouse model was established by surgically transplanting a specimen of primary osteosarcoma of the breast into the mammary gland of nude mice. Mice implanted with tumors were randomly divided into four groups: Control group, N=5; rapamycin-treated group, N=5; o-rMETase-treated group, N=5; and a group treated with the combination of o-rMETase and rapamycin, N=5. Mice were treated for 2 weeks after transplantation, and tumor volume was measured during the treatment period.
Results: Treatment with the combination of rapamycin and o-rMETase eradicated the osteosarcoma of the breast compared to the untreated control (p=0.000008). o-rMETase alone did not significantly inhibit tumor growth, and rapamycin alone only partially inhibited the tumor (p=0.78 and p=0.018, respectively) compared to the untreated control. There was not a significant difference in mouse weight between the groups.
Conclusion: The combination of rapamycin and o-rMETase was highly effective against primary osteosarcoma of the breast in a PDOX model, suggesting a future clinical strategy for this rare cancer type that currently has no first-line treatment.
Keywords: Breast osteosarcoma; Hoffman effect; PDOX; combination therapy; efficacy; methioninase; nude mice; rapamycin; synergy.
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