Table 3.

Validation of the effect of fibroblast coinjection on the development of lymph node and lung metastases in orthotopic LuCaP136 xenografts: second and third combination in-vivo series. 10 weeks after intraprostatic injection of 5 × 10⁵ LuCaP136 cells combined with 5 × 10⁵ CAF2/CAF3, NCAF2/NCAF3 or BPHF2/BPHF3 cells, mice were sacrificed, and their organs were examined for the presence of metastases. The number of animals with lymph node and lung metastases in each of the 3 resulting groups is given in this table (based on histological examination of the removed organs). The results from the first series, in which LuCaP136 and LNCaP cells were injected alone (see also Table 1), are added as well. p values were determined by Fisher´s exact test. BPHF = benign prostate hyperplasia associated fibroblasts, CAF = cancer-associated fibroblasts, NCAF = non-cancer-associated fibroblasts, LN = lymph node.

	≥ 2 LN metastases	Statistical significance	Lung metastases	Statistical significance
LuCaP136 alone (n = 6)	2/6	/	0/6	/
LuCaP136 + NCAF2 (n = 8)	4/8	p = 0,63 (vs. LuCaP136 alone)	2/8	p = 0,47 (vs. LuCaP136 alone)
LuCaP136 + BPHF2 (n = 6)	3/6	p = 1,00 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 1,00 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF2)	1/6	p = 1,00 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 1,00 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF2)
LuCaP136 + CAF2 (n = 8)	8/8	p = 0,02 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 0,02 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF2) p = 0,05 (vs. LuCaP136 + BPHF2)	3/8	p = 0,21 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 0,32 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF2) p = 0,58 (vs. LuCaP136 + BPHF2)
LuCaP136 + NCAF3 (n = 7)	1/7	p = 0,56 (vs. LuCaP136 alone)	1/7	p  = 1,00 (vs. LuCaP136 alone)
LuCaP136 + BPHF3 (n = 7)	2/7	p  = 1,00 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 0,51 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF3)	3/7	p = 0,19 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 0,237 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF3)
LuCaP136 + CAF3 (n = 7)	6/7	p = 0,10 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 0,01 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF3) p = 0,10 (vs. LuCaP136 + BPHF3)	5/7	p = 0,02 (vs. LuCaP136 alone) p = 0,03 (vs. LuCaP136 + NCAF3) p = 0,59 (vs. LuCaP136 + BPHF3)