I think you might be confusing cancer cells with macrophages - yes cancer cells can deplete resources and accordingly stress tissues, but they do not "consume" cells like macrophages do.

Hi Patrick, I don't think the murine host cells can be eaten by cancer cells in xenografted mice. The increased tumor mass should be due to sustainable growth of cancer cells. During this process, murine host cells can support cancer growth in different ways such as provide blood, cytokine, growth factors, etc. However, when tumor becomes larger, murine host tissues/cells can be compressed by tumor.

Thank you Hai Zhang for your answer; What interested me the most in your answer is the word "compressed"; this compression would normally lead to death of the murine cells? halted proliferation perhaps? senescence?

Hello

I agree with Dr. Han Zhang 100 %

Good Luck

Hi Patrick,

At very beginning, the murine tissues/cells can be physically compressed by an enlarged foreign tumor due to a very limited space. However, as you mentioned, a prolonged compression will lead to death of murine tissues/cells due to ischemia. The same is true in human beings. That's why patients with brain tumors usually present as motor or sensory disorders.

Based on that, do you think that the remaining of murine cells are cleared up by human cancer cells?

Thanks for the discussion,

Patrick

No, I don't think so. Cancer cells can compress tissues/cells nearby, and migrate or disperse into distant tissues/cells, but not clear up or eat them. Those are two different concepts.

I think you might be confusing cancer cells with macrophages - yes cancer cells can deplete resources and accordingly stress tissues, but they do not "consume" cells like macrophages do.