Human Primary Tumorgraft Models: Comparisons with Traditional Oncology Pre-Clinical Models and The Clinical Relevance and Utility of Primary Tumorgrafts in Basic and Translational Oncology Research

Laboratory models that accurately replicate human tumors are integral to cancer research. However, comparative studies between commonly employed laboratory models and human tumors have demonstrated that some models have molecular and genomic alterations dissimilar to the cancer type they attempt to replicate. In contrast, several recent comparative studies suggest that patient-derived tumors grown in mice maintain many of the important characteristics of the original tumor and represent an important tool for the development of new cancer therapeutics. Many models are now available for mechanistic and therapeutic research, and each system has both strengths and weakness. This review will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the most commonly used models of cancer and highlight advances in the generation and use of patient-derived tumorgrafts.