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Analysis of the cell kinetics of human solid tumors
Author(s) -
Terz Jose J.,
Curutchet H. Pablo,
Lawrence Walter
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(1971)28:5<1100::aid-cncr2820280503>3.0.co;2-1
Subject(s) - melanoma , medicine , cell cycle , doubling time , lung cancer , cancer , breast cancer , pathology , large cell , cell , nuclear medicine , oncology , cancer research , adenocarcinoma , biology , genetics
The cell cycles (tc) of seven human solid tumors (lung, maxillary antrum, malignant schwannoma, malignant melanoma, colon cancer, and two breast cancers) were studied in vivo following the pulse labelling with intravenous tritiated thymidine and multiple biopsies. The standard components of the cell cycle were observed by radioautography, and the duration of the tc was analyzed by the per cent of labelled mitosis curve, the grain halving method, and computer model (G. G. Steel) which allows the determination of the variants of each component of the cycle. The determined tc ranged from 14 hrs. (lung cancer) to 44 hrs. (schwannoma), and the DNA synthetic period ranged from 5.5 hrs. ((lung cancer) to 21 hrs. (melanoma). There was a significant discrepancy between the calculated tumor doubling time and the measured doubling time. The rate of cell loss calculated on the basis of this difference ranged between 11% (lung cancer) to 86% (melanoma). The growth fraction ranged between 25% (breast cancer) and 80% (lung cancer). No significant discrepancies were observed in the estimation of the cell cycle by the different methods. A second wave of labelled mitoses was always demonstrated if frequent samples were obtained. The analysis of our data, as well as the review of the reported cases, shows a wide variation in the duration of the cell cycle in different tumors. Therefore, no significant correlation can yet be established between the type of tumor and the kinetics of the cell components.