Cancer in a Pisces

What am I looking at?

This is an image of a tumor growing along the back of a zebrafish. The golden areas indicate cancerous tissue (1). The blue-green blood vessels outline the zebrafish’s muscles (2).

Click on the right arrow to see a zoomed-out view, showing the position of the cancer in the fish.

Biology in the background

Cancer affects almost all animals, even animals like fish and mollusks. Cancer happens when cells in the body start to divide, or reproduce, uncontrollably.  

Zebrafish are a great model for researchers to study cancer because they reproduce quickly compared to mammals like mice or rats, their genome is fully mapped (making genetic manipulation easier), and they are relatively inexpensive to house and feed. In addition, their bodies are translucent when they’re young, making it easier to see what’s happening inside their bodies. Cancer studies in zebrafish provide useful insights into the basic mechanisms behind the development and progression of cancer, which can be used to inform cancer studies in mammals, including mice, rats, monkeys, and even humans.  

This tumor is about 300 micrometers long, or roughly four times larger than the width of a human hair.

Technique  

These images were created using confocal microscopy.