Growth of metastases of the mouse adenocarcinoma EO 771: an allometric relationship between growth of the primary tumors and their metastases.

Growth and cell kinetic parameters have been studied of paraaortal lumbar lymph node metastases of the mouse adenocarcinoma EO 771 growing intramuscularly in the thigh. An allometric relationship was found between the growth of the metastasis and that of the primary tumor, i.e. a linear relationship exists between the logarithm of the size of the metastasis and that of the primary tumor which permits the estimation of the growth rate of the metastasis based on the growth curve of the primary tumor. However, growth of metastases differs quantitatively from that of the primary tumor: the specific growth rate (growth rate per unit size) of the metastasis (1) is greater than that of the simultaneously growing primary tumor but (2) is smaller than that of the primary tumor of the same size as the metastasis. The allometric growth relationship further suggests that metastases originate later than is generally predicted presuming exponential growth of metastasis.