# The Chick Embryo Chorioallantoic Membrane Assay as a Short-Term Exploratory Model for Cervical Cancer Research

## TL;DR

This study explores the use of a chick embryo model to quickly and affordably test cervical cancer treatments and tumor development.

## Contribution

The study optimizes the CAM assay specifically for cervical cancer tumor induction using HeLa and SiHa cell lines.

## Key findings

- The CAM assay produced vascularized tumors with Ki-67 expression from HeLa and SiHa cells.
- The CAM model offers a rapid, low-cost alternative to traditional preclinical models for cervical cancer research.

## Abstract

Cervical cancer (CC) remains a significant public health problem. Despite the availability of standard treatment strategies, chemotherapy-resistant tumors persist, highlighting the need to explore new therapeutic approaches or adjuvant strategies. This underscores the importance of preclinical in vivo models. Conventional models, such as murine xenografts, patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), and patient-derived organoids (PDOs), provide valuable biological relevance but are often time-consuming, costly, and resource-intensive. In this context, the chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay represents a rapid, low-cost, and technically accessible in vivo platform. The CAM is a non-innervated, highly vascularized extraembryonic structure that provides a suitable environment for tumor generation from xenografts. However, despite the broad use of the CAM assay for tumor xenografts, standardized and comparative methodological optimizations specifically addressing technical variables for cervical cancer tumor induction remain limited. Therefore, the aim of this study was to optimize the CAM assay for tumor generation using the HeLa and SiHa cell lines. The generated tumors are vascularized and exhibit Ki-67 expression. The CAM assay is an excellent short-term exploratory model based on developing chicken embryos for studying the developmental biology of cervical tumors, which would accelerate the preclinical investigation of new therapeutic molecules.