Experimental models of kidney tumors.

We here present in outline some outstanding results on the animal models of renal tumors submitted to the highest attention, which include two kinds of epithelial neoplasms: those developed from the epithelium lining each the renal tubules (renal cell tumors) and pelvis; the mesenchymal tumor of rat; and tumors with embryonal appearance: the nephroblastoma as well as the variant of it known as the estrogen-induced tumor in the hamster. The review deals with methods for tumor induction and the pathobiology of tumors, the latter mainly focused on the identification of the precise types of renal cells committed in tumor origin. The existence of closely related counterparts of these animal tumors in man is also emphasized, by representing a situation of great potentiality, already exploited, to improve understanding of both the nature and development of renal tumors in man.