A mouse model of metastasis-induced breast cancer cachexia with non-cachectic controls bearing isogenic primary tumors

Lung metastases from the metastatic 4T1 breast cancer line, but not primary 4T1 tumors or 67NR lung tumors, uniquely drive cachexia with exclusive body weight loss in mice.

• Why it matters: Metastasis is strongly linked to cachexia in advanced cancer, yet preclinical models often lack rigorously matched systems to study metastasis-associated cachectic mechanisms.
• What they did: Mice received orthotopic primary tumors from 4T1 or isogenic 67NR, or experimental lung metastases via tail-vein injection, then researchers quantified metastatic burden and cachectic phenotypes plus cytokines and metabolic hormones; they also used pair-feeding to separate anorexia effects.
• The result: The 4T1 lung metastasis model recapitulates anorexia, fat depletion, lean mass loss, and reduced grip strength, and pair-feeding reproduces tissue wasting without grip weakness, enabling identification of metastasis-associated mediators.

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