Tumor blood flow: the principal modulator of oxidative and glycolytic metabolism, and of the metabolic micromilieu of human tumor xenografts in vivo.

We have investigated therapeutically relevant pathophysiological parameters of human breast and lung cancer xenografts in nude rats. All lung cancers and one breast cancer exhibited rapid growth and high blood flow values paralleled by high metabolic rates. The tissue of these tumors was well oxygenated up to very advanced growth stages. Xenografts from other breast cancer cell lines grew much more slowly, were poorly perfused, and exhibited low metabolic rates. Here, tumor hypoxia and tissue acidosis were evident. These results indicate that significant differences in the metabolic micromilieu can be detected in human tumors; these are due to varying perfusion rates and may be partly responsible for failure to obtain tumor control in individual patients.