Figure 8. Anti-NGF treatment, when given early or late in disease progression, attenuates prostate cancer-induced nociceptive behaviors.

Nociceptive behaviors including spontaneous guarding (A) and flinching (B) recorded in sham mice (needle placement + injection of culture medium), prostate cancer-bearing mice treated with vehicle, prostate cancer-bearing mice treated preemptively with anti-NGF (from days 14 to 70 post-cell injection) and prostate cancer mice treated late with anti-NGF (from days 35 to 70 post-cell injection). Note that nociceptive behaviors in tumor-bearing mice are evident by day 14 post-cell injection and are significantly greater than sham mice at all time points shown. Preemptive sustained treatment with anti-NGF which was commenced at day 14 post-tumor cell injection significantly decreased nociceptive behaviors. Importantly, late sustained treatment with anti-NGF which was commenced at day 35 post-tumor injection (when robust sprouting in the parent cell colonies has already occurred) also decreased the nociceptive behaviors. Anti-NGF was given every 5 days (10 mg/kg, i.p.) and each point represents the mean ± SEM.