An experimental model for intraocular metastasis of malignant lymphoma

Purpose. Intraocular lymphoma is a lethal disease caused mainly by two clinically distinct forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: 1) lymphoma of the central nervous system (NHL-CNS) and 2) systemic lymphoma. Currently there is no adequate experimental model available whereby the lethal infiltration of malignant lymphoma to the eye can be studied. We attempted to develop such a model. Methods. Suspension-borne S49 mouse lymphoma and a variant subline (Rev-2-T-6) characterized by growth as aggregates in suspension culture, were inoculated intraperitoneally into newborn syngeneic mice. Histological analysis was carried out on H&E-stained sections. Results. Inoculation of Rev-2-T-6 cells, but not parental S49 cells, resulted in symptoms of eye involvement in 50% of inoculated mice. Histopathological analysis of eye sections revealed massive infiltration of the lymphoma into both eye and orbit. Conclusions. These findings constitute a novel mouse model for metastasis of malignant lymphoma to the eye. Such a model bears both basic (molecular mechanisms) as well as applied (experimental therapeutic modalities) significance.