A novel simple suture method for establishing an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model: a comparative study with two conventional methods.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of a novel simple suture method in establishing an optimal animal model for preclinical research in pancreatic cancer.

Methods: To establish a novel simple suture method, the tumor fragment was placed on the tail of the pancreas and securely wrapped into the pancreas, and compared with two conventional methods: the cell injection method and the tumor fragment embedding method. Subsequently, emission tomography/computed tomography scanning, gross anatomy observation, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry staining were performed to assess the effectiveness of these methods.

Results: The emission tomography/computed tomography scanning and anatomical examinations confirmed the successful construction of orthotopic pancreatic cancer models using all three methods. Histopathological analysis of the orthotopic masses and metastatic lesions revealed malignant transformation with tumor infiltration into normal tissue. Comparative analysis demonstrated that the cell injection method was easy to perform but resulted in poor uniformity of tumor size and had high costs. The tumor fragment embedding method exhibited excellent uniformity of tumor size, with the highest tumor growth rates and a greater pancreatic impairment. In contrast, the novel simple suture method featured a relatively simple surgical procedure, slower growth rates, good uniformity of tumor size, and minimal pancreatic impairment.

Conclusion: The novel simple suture method is the optimal protocol for establishing an orthotopic pancreatic cancer mouse model, providing a robust foundation for preclinical studies on pancreatic cancer.