Oligoclonal tumours

Tumours are commonly classified as monoclonal or polyclonal. The question of how many clones are present in a polyclonal tumour is seldom asked; it is important, however, because the answer may show whether or not clones arise and develop independently, and whether the number of clones in tumours of a particular kind tends to increase or decrease with time. We have used two procedures to assess the clon‐ality of chemically‐induced murine fibrosarcomas, one based on the heterozygosity of the tumour hosts for an X‐linked marker, the other on the expression of tumour‐associated transplantation antigens (TATA) by the tumours. As we have reported previously, many of these tumours are pleoclonal. Evidence now presented suggests that the clones do not develop independently and that many of the tumours are biclonal.