Mouse Model Mimics Human Prostate Cancer

Cancer researchers have found that lack of one or both alleles for the Rb tumor suppressor gene in cells of the prostate glands of a genetically engineered line of mice was sufficient to trigger the development of a precancerous condition similar to the earliest stages of human prostate cancer.

Investigators at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (Seattle, WA, USA; www.fhcrc.org) worked with a line of mice that had been genetically engineered to lack one or more alleles for the Rb gene in cells of the prostate gland while maintaining the normal genetic content in all other cells of the body.

They reported in the September 1, 2004, issue of Cancer Research that mice lacking one or both alleles developed a precancerous condition called focal hyperplasia. More...