Radiation to cancer cells alone diminishes PNI <i>in vivo</i>.

Abstract

<p>A. Representative images of a non-radiated mouse 7 weeks after sciatic nerve injection with radiated (2 Gy) MiaPaCa2 cells demonstrate intact right hind limb function and diminished gross tumor (*) with normal sciatic nerve caliber (arrow) <i>in situ</i>, in contrast to non-radiated MiaPaCa2 cells (Fig. 5A). B. Radiation to cancer cells alone prevents sciatic nerve paralysis. Mean right sciatic nerve function scores were measured 7 weeks after mice underwent sciatic nerve injections with radiated (2 Gy) or control (0 Gy) MiaPaCa2 cells († p<0.05, t-test). C. The sciatic nerve index (hindpaw span) was used as a measure of sciatic nerve function 7 weeks after injection of radiated (2 Gy) or control (0 Gy) MiaPaCa2 cells into the right sciatic nerve. Mice injected with radiated cancer cells exhibit preserved neurological function as compared to mice receiving non-radiated control cancer cells († p<0.05, t-test). D. Mean gross tumor volumes assessed 7 weeks after sciatic nerve injections demonstrate that cancer cells receiving radiation (2 Gy) exhibited significantly smaller tumor volumes as compared with control (0 Gy) cancer cells († p<0.05, t-test).</p