Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Estimation of rat mammary tumor volume using caliper and ultrasonography measurements

Lab Animal volume 42, pages 217–224 (2013)Cite this article

Abstract

Mammary tumors similar to those observed in women can be induced in rats by intraperitoneal administration of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Determining tumor volume is a useful and quantitative way to monitor tumor progression. In this study, the authors measured dimensions of rat mammary tumors using a caliper and using real-time compound B-mode ultrasonography. They then used different formulas to calculate tumor volume from these tumor measurements and compared the calculated tumor volumes with the real tumor volume to identify the formulas that gave the most accurate volume calculations. They found that caliper and ultrasonography measurements were significantly correlated but that tumor volumes calculated using different formulas varied substantially. Mammary tumors seemed to take on an oblate spheroid geometry. The most accurate volume calculations were obtained using the formula V = (W2 × L)/2 for caliper measurements and the formula V = (4/3) × π × (L/2) × (L/2) × (D/2) for ultrasonography measurements, where V is tumor volume, W is tumor width, L is tumor length and D is tumor depth.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Get just this article for as long as you need it

$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4: Number of tumors in rats receiving MNU (group I).
Figure 5: Number of tumors on right and left mammary chains.
Figure 6: Number of tumors in thoracic and inguinal mammary glands.

References

  1. Parkin, D.M., Bray, F., Ferlay, J. & Pisani, P. Global cancer statistics, 2002. CA Cancer J. Clin. 55, 74–108 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Verma, R. et al. Comparison of clinical assessment, mammography and ultrasound in pre-operative estimation of primary breast-cancer size: a practical approach. Internet J. Surg. 16 (2008).

  3. Clarke, R. Animal models of breast cancer: their diversity and role in biomedical research. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 39, 1–6 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. McCormick, D.L., Adamowski, C.B., Fiks, A. & Moon, R.C. Lifetime dose-response relationships for mammary tumor induction by a single administration of N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. Cancer Res. 41, 1690–1694 (1981).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Jensen, M.M., Jørgensen, J.T., Binderup, T. & Kjær, A. Tumor volume in subcutaneous mouse xenografts measured by microCT is more accurate and reproducible than determined by 18F-FDG-microPET or external caliper. BMC Med. Imaging 16, 8–16 (2008).

    Google Scholar 

  6. Hoffman-Goetz, L. et al. Possible mechanisms mediating an association between physical activity and breast cancer. Cancer 83, 621–628 (1998).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Westerlind, K.C. Physical activity cancer prevention–mechanisms. Med. Sci. Sport. Exer. 35, 1834–1840 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Eichelerger, L.E. et al. Predicting tumor volume in radical prostatectomy specimens from patients with prostate cancer. Am. J. Clin. Pathol. 120, 386–391 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Davis, P.L. et al. Breast cancer measurements with magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasonography, and mammography. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 37, 1–9 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Pritt, B., Ashikaga, T., Oppenheimer, R.G. & Weaver, D.L. Influence of breast cancer histology on the relationship between ultrasound and pathology tumor size measurements. Modern Pathol. 17, 905–910 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Berg, W.A. et al. Diagnostic accuracy of mammography, clinical examination, US, and MR imaging in preoperative assessment of breast cancer. Radiology 233, 830–849 (2004).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Fornage, B.D., Toubas, O. & Deshayes, J.L. Role of real-time sonography in assessment of breast diseases: a review of 200 cases (Abstr). Radiology 157, 54 (1985).

    Google Scholar 

  13. Gullino, P.M., Pettigrew, H.M. & Grantham, F.H. N-nitrosomethylurea as mammary gland carcinogen in rats. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 54, 401–414 (1975).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Komárek, V. Gross anatomy. in The Laboratory Mouse (eds. Hedrich, H.J. & Bullock, G.) 253–257 (Elsevier Academic, Boston, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  15. Kubatka, P. et al. Effects of tamoxifen and melatonin on mammary gland cancer induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea and by 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene, respectively, in female Sprague-Dawley rats. Folia Biol. 47, 5–10 (2001).

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Bousquet, P.F. et al. Preclinical evaluation of LU 79553: a novel bis-naphthalimide with potent antitumor activity. Cancer Res. 55, 1176–1180 (1995).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Harris, R.E., Alshafie, G.A., Abou-Issa, H. & Seibert, K. Chemopreventive of breast cancer in rats by celecoxib, a ciclooxygenase 2 inhibitor. Cancer Res. 60, 2101–2103 (2000).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Forbes, D., Blom, H., Kostomitsopoulos, N., Moore, G. & Perretta, G. Euroguide: On the Accommodation and Care of Animals Used for Experimental and Other Scientific Purposes (Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations, London, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

  19. Clarys, J.P. & Marfell-Jones, M.J. Soft tissue segmentation of the body and fractionation of the upper and lower limbs. Ergonomics 37, 217–229 (1994).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. McPhail, L.D. & Robinson, S.P. Intrinsic susceptibility MR imaging of chemically induced rat mammary tumors: relationship to histologic assessment of hypoxia and fibrosis. Radiology 254, 110–118 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Kobayashy, T. et al. Value of prostate volume measurement using transabdominal ultrasonography for the improvement of prostate-specific antigen-based cancer detection. Int. J. Urol. 12, 881–885 (2005).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Yang, C.H., Wang, S.J., Lin, A.T.L., Jen, Y.M. & Lin, C.A. Evaluation of prostate volume by transabdominal ultrasonography with modified ellipsoid formula at different stages of benign prostatic hyperplasia. Ultrasound Med. Biol. 37, 331–337 (2011).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Carlsson, G., Gullberg, B. & Hafström, L. Estimation of liver tumor volume using different formulas—an experimental study in rats. J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol. 105, 20–23 (1983).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  24. Russo, J. & Russo, I.H. Experimentally induced mammary tumors in rats. Breast Cancer Res. Treat. 39, 7–20 (1996).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Perše, M., Cerar, A. & Štrukelj, B. N-methylnitrosourea induced breast cancer in rat, the histopathology of the resulting tumours and its drawbacks as a model. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 15, 115–121 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Weber, W.A. & Wieder, H. Monitoring chemotherapy and radiotherapy of solid tumors. Eur. J. Nucl. Med. Mol. Imaging 33, 27–37 (2006).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Girit, I.C., Jure-Kunkel, M. & McIntyre, K.W. A structured light-based system for scanning subcutaneous tumors in laboratory animals. Comp. Med. 58, 264–270 (2008).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Fornage, B.D., Toubas, O. & Morel, M. Clinical, mammographic, and sonographic determination of preoperative breast cancer size. Cancer 60, 765–771 (1987).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  29. Lee, J., Koh, D. & Ong, C.N. Statistical evaluations of agreement between two methods for measuring a quantitative variable. Comput. Biol. Med. 19, 61–70 (1989).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  30. Denis, F., Paon, L. & Tranquart, F. Radiosensitivity of rat mammary tumors correlates with early vessel changes assessed by Power Doppler sonography. J. Ultrasound Med. 22, 921–929 (2003).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Pollok, K.E. et al. In vivo measurements of tumor metabolism and growth after administration of enzastaurin using small animal FDG positron emission tomography. J. Oncol. 2009, 1–8 (2009).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (PTDC/DES/114122/2009 and Pest-OE/AGR/UI0772/2011 unity) and by the European Regional Development Fund (COMPETE, FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-014707/022692).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

    Ana Faustino-Rocha,  Jacinta Pinho-Oliveira,  Catarina Teixeira-Guedes &  Ruben Soares-Maia

  2. Department of Veterinary Sciences, Animal and Veterinary Research Centre, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

    Paula A. Oliveira,  Bruno Colaço,  Maria João Pires &  Jorge Colaço

  3. Laboratory for Process, Environmental and Energy Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    Rui Gil da Costa

  4. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Lusophone University of Humanities and Technologies, Lisboa, Portugal

    Rui Gil da Costa

  5. Department of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry of Natural Products and Agrifood, Mass Spectrometry Center, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal

    Rita Ferreira

  6. Department of Veterinary Sciences, Centre for Research and Technology of Agro-Environment and Biological Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal

    Mário Ginja

Authors
  1. Ana Faustino-Rocha
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paula A. Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jacinta Pinho-Oliveira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Catarina Teixeira-Guedes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Ruben Soares-Maia
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Rui Gil da Costa
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Bruno Colaço
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Maria João Pires
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  9. Jorge Colaço
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  10. Rita Ferreira
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  11. Mário Ginja
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mário Ginja.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Faustino-Rocha, A., Oliveira, P., Pinho-Oliveira, J. et al. Estimation of rat mammary tumor volume using caliper and ultrasonography measurements. Lab Anim 42, 217–224 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.254

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/laban.254

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing