Pre-treatment data from tumour biopsies labelled in vitro with tritiated thymidine are reported for 54 patients undergoing radical radiotherapy by 137Cs or Cathetron 60Co intracavitary insertions plus external irradiation for carcinoma of the uterine cervix. Labelling indices were obtained ranging from 1.8 to 27.8%. No correlation was observed between mean labelling indices and the histological type of tumour or its degree of differentiation. Comparison of data obtained in this study with previously reported data for carcinoma in situ and invasive carcinoma indicate that with increasing clinical stage of the disease, a considerable lengthening of the potential doubling time of the tumour cells, from less than 1 to 8 days, occurs. The degree of vaginal spread of the tumour was directly related to the degree of parametrial involvement. The mean time taken for the vaginal component of the tumour to resolve following radiotherapy was related to its initial spread and the pre-treatment labelling index. The greater the spread of the tumour, the lower the labelling index and the longer the time taken for resolution. Up to 1 year following radiotherapy the incidence of locally recurrent, or metastatic disease was unrelated to the pre-treatment labelling index.

Autoradiography↗

PubMed1977

Metastasis of a transplantable mammary tumour in rats treated with cyclophosphamide and/or irradiation.

We report observations on the spread by metastasis and infiltration of a transplantable tumour in rats treated by 60Co gamma-irradiation of the primary, irradiation plus parenteral cyclophosphamide, or parenteral cyclophosphamide alone. The proportion of animals with overt disseminated disease and the extent of spread were measured with respect to the time elapsed after implantation and treatment of the primary tumour. The incidence of metastatic disease was broadly similar for all treatment groups, but the extent of dissemination was greater in rats whose treatment included cyclophosphamide.

Animals↗

PubMed1977

Serial transplantation, histology and cellular kinetics of a rat adenocarcinoma.

Data are reported on the growth, histology and cell population kinetics of a spontaneous mammary tumour in the rat at the 1st and 35-40th transplantation generation. With serial transplantation subcutaneously in isologous animals, the macroscopic growth characteristics of the tumour did not alter. The tumour had a volume doubling time of approximately 1.6 days at 400 mm3, increasing to about 7 days at 20,000 mm3. The histology, however, changed dramatically from that of a well differentiated papillary adenocarcinoma with a well defined vascular pattern and minimal necrosis to become by the 35th generation a poorly differentiated pleomorphic cellular tumour in which stromal elements and associated vascular supply were minimal and necrosis prominent. These changes were not manifested in the median cycle time of its cells, 16-18 hr, but by an increase in the growth fraction from 0.36 to 0.59 with a commensurate increase in the cell loss factor from 0.04 and 0.30.

Adenocarcinoma, Papillary↗

PubMed1977

Feulgen microdensitometry and analysis of S-phase cells in cervical tumour biopsies.

Tissue specimens from the cervical tumours of 70 patients undergoing radiotherapy were examined by Feulgen microdensitometry. Twenty-five of the 70 specimens were also subjected to in-vitro tritiated thymidine autoradiography to determine the proportion of DNA synthesising cells they contained. A spectrum of frequency distributions of nuclear DNA content was obtained from Feulgen microdensitometry, but by inspecting the data the basic DNA content of malignant cells could be established in most cases. Fifty-nine per cent of the tumours were 'diploid', 10% 'tetraploid', 13% 'diploid to tetraploid', and the remaining 18% 'aneuploid'. Grafical analysis of DNA frequencies from 48 'diploid' or 'tetraploid' tumours enabled the proportion of DNA synthesising (S) cells to be estimated by frequency distribution analysis. Estimates of the S component ranged from nil to 30%, were log normally distributed, and comparable to direct measurements of cells in S determined by autoradiography for 25 cases (range 1.2-28.7%). For all paired data the mean difference was 1.2 +/- 1.45% (confidence limits), suggesting that overall Feulgen microdensitometry analysis may be an equally valid technique in providing cellular kinetic information with human tumour material.

Autoradiography↗

PubMed1977

Medicine and the media: polio still paralyses (Albert Sabin, Jonas Salk).

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

History, 20th Century↗

PubMed1977

Medicine and the media: popular science.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Medicine↗

PubMed1977

Which paper?

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Accidents, Occupational↗