Transplantation of hepatomas induced in the avian liver by MC29 leukosis virus.

A hepatomatous growth derived from primary liver tumors induced in chickens by i.v. inoculation with MC29 leukosis virus has been established and maintained in the avian host. Hepatoma tissue transplanted into the abdominal cavity in a total of 278 chicks in 35 experiments yielded tumors in 222 animals (80%). The i.m. implantation in 69 birds in 7 experiments resulted in growth in 67 chicks (97%). Tumor tissue introduced inadvertently into the s.c. tissue likewise grew very rapidly. Histological and cytological features of the transplants in all sites showed preservation of the morphological characteristics of the original primary liver tumors through repeated passages. The properties of this first transplantable hepatoma derived from virus-induced primary liver tumors are compared with those of other transplantable hepatomas.