Expression of interleukin 8 and not parathyroid hormone-related protein by human breast cancer cells correlates with bone metastasis in vivo.

Metastasis is the process by which tumor cells spread from their site of origin to distant sites after gaining access to the circulatory system. An understanding of the factors contributing to the metastatic potential of breast cancer cells to bone will enhance the prospect of developing new therapies that impede metastasis. In this study, we have used an in vivo selection scheme involving left cardiac ventricle injection into nude mice to identify a highly metastatic human breast cancer cell line (MDA-MET) from a less metastatic (MDA-231) parental cell line.