Potential of the scid mouse as a host for human tumors.

Animal models of human tumors and their metastases that effectively mimic clinical disease are in considerable demand. While it is certainly true that athymic nude mice provide us with useful models to study a large number of human tumors in vivo, it is also well known that nude mice usually do not develop spontaneous metastases and are not suitable for all types of tumors. Therefore, the scid mouse that allows disseminated growths for a number of human tumors, particularly hematologic disorders and malignant melanoma, can be used preferentially for the investigation of such malignancies. The potential to study the interaction of human immune cells and human tumor in an in vivo model is another unique feature of scid mice that will add to their usefulness in experimental cancer research.