Suitability of the woodchuck HCC as a preclinical model for evaluation of intra-arterial therapies

Alexander Y Kim; Joseph H Yacoub; David H Field; Byoung Uk Park; Bhaskar Kallakury; Kyle E Korolowicz; Stephan Menne

doi:10.1002/ame2.12100

Suitability of the woodchuck HCC as a preclinical model for evaluation of intra-arterial therapies

Animal Model Exp Med. 2020 Feb 9;3(1):98-102. doi: 10.1002/ame2.12100. eCollection 2020 Mar.

Authors

Alexander Y Kim¹, Joseph H Yacoub¹, David H Field¹, Byoung Uk Park², Bhaskar Kallakury², Kyle E Korolowicz³, Stephan Menne³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Radiology Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Washington District of Columbia.
² Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Medstar Georgetown University Hospital Washington District of Columbia.
³ Department of Microbiology and Immunology Georgetown University Medical Center Washington District of Columbia.

Abstract

The most commonly used preclinical models of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are limited for use in testing of intra-arterial therapies such as transarterial chemoembolization and radioembolization. Issues encountered with the more commonly used animal models include dissimilarity in their disease development compared with humans and the size of the vasculature which can make intra-arterial therapy testing difficult or impossible. Here we describe the suitability of the woodchuck HCC model for testing of intra-arterial therapies. We describe the techniques for pre-embolization imaging assessment using CT and MRI, technical tips on performing angiography and embolization, and pathological assessment of treated liver.

Keywords: angiography; animal model; hepatocellular carcinoma; woodchuck.