Objective: To study the pathological manifestations of early lung adenocarcinoma in mice, focusing on the tumor growth type and tumor-bronchial relationship.
Methods: 10 KM mice were injected subcutaneously with 0.2 mg of the carcinogen nitrosoguanidine (MNNG, concentration 2.0 mg/mL) every week for 4 weeks. After feeding to the 100th day, they were sacrificed. The lung lobes were dissected and the tumors were counted with the naked eye. After that, 100 tumors were randomly selected for paraffin embedding, 3 μm sections, HE staining, and observation and measurement of the histopathological type, size, morphology, edge, growth mode, and relationship with the bronchus under light microscope.
Results: A total of 187 tumors were seen with naked eyes, and 100 randomly selected pathologically confirmed lung adenocarcinomas. The tumor size was 0.19~1.33 mm, with an average of 0.48 mm. Three growth modes were seen under the microscope: creeping, swelling and mixed. The numbers were 6, 28, and 68, respectively; the average sizes were 0.34, 0.54 mm, and 0.47 mm, respectively. 96 of 100 tumors were directly related to the bronchus, of which 13% and 96% of the tumors were related to the ventilating bronchus and the ventilation bronchi, respectively. Related to the trachea. The display rates of the central, peripheral, and peripheral bronchi of the tumor are 19%, 49%, and 96%, respectively; the average diameters are 67, 91 μm, and 110 μm, respectively. The tumor growth is blocked by the bronchus or expands along the inter-bronchial. It can form lobes (33%) or burrs (35%).
Conclusion: The pathological study of the growth pattern of early lung adenocarcinoma in mice and the relationship between tumor and bronchus will help us deepen our understanding of the corresponding CT findings of human early lung adenocarcinoma.