Interventional Radiology - Pictorial Essay

Development, growth, propagation, and angiographic utilization of the rabbit VX2 model of liver cancer: a pictorial primer and “how to” guide

10.5152/dir.2014.13415

  • Ahmad Parvinian,
  • Leigh C. Casadaban,
  • Ron C. Gaba

Received Date: 14.12.2013 Accepted Date: 14.01.2014 Diagn Interv Radiol 2014;20(4):335-340

The VX2 tumor is a leporine anaplastic squamous cell carcinoma characterized by rapid growth, hypervascularity, and facile propagation in the skeletal muscle. Since its introduction over 70 years ago, it has been used to model a variety of malignancies, and is commonly employed by interventional radiologists in preclinical investigations of hepatocellular carcinoma. However, despite the widespread and lasting popularity of the model, there are few technical resources detailing its use. Herein, we present a comprehensive pictorial outline of the technical methodology for development, growth, propagation, and angiographic utilization of the rabbit VX2 liver tumor model.