Mammary fat pad tumor preparation in mice.

The host microenvironment influences tumor biology, affecting parameters such as gene expression, angiogenesis, growth, invasion, metastasis, and responses to therapy. Consequently, the use of tumor models growing in appropriate orthotopic locations is necessary to obtain a rigorous understanding of tumor pathophysiology and to correctly study antitumor treatments. The mouse mammary fat pad serves as an orthotopic site for breast cancer and can be used to study various aspects of this disease, including the effect of host-tumor interactions on tumor biology and therapeutic response. This protocol describes mammary fat pad tumor preparation in mice.