The p815 mastocytoma tumor model.

This unit presents an experimental tumor model which has led to pivotal advances in tumor immunology culminating in the preclinical development of human cancer vaccines for melanoma. The model employs the use of the P815 mastocytoma cell line. Although the P815 cell line belongs to the mast cell lineage, it offers several advantages for in vivo experimentation of the tumor-host relationship. It grows progressively in the majority of syngeneic DBA/2 mice and can be implanted either intraperitoneally or subcutaneously. Moreover, immunogeneic variants have been created yielding tumors that are spontaneously rejected BB a behavior that has provided a context in which to study the immunologically relevant molecules and cells that dictate a successful anti-tumor response.