Background: The aim of this study was to develop and characterize a mouse xenograft model for the hypercalcemic-type of small cell carcinoma of the ovary (HTSCCO).
Patients and methods: Tumor fragments were removed from a patient and cultured in six subsequent generations of nude mice. Histology, comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), electron microscopy and serum calcium levels were investigated.
Results: Morphology remained the same from the primary tumor of the patient through the 6th passage in the mouse. Serum calcium levels were significantly higher in the tumor-bearing mice compared to controls. CGH of the HTSCCO did not show evidence of a close relationship to either a germ cell tumor or an epithelial ovarian cancer.
Conclusion: Some evidence was provided that the HTSCCO is an inhomogeneous tumor that is neither related to a germ cell tumor nor to an epithelial ovarian cancer, but is a distinct tumor entity.