Skip to main content
NCBI home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1984 Sep;50(3):343–349. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1984.181

Actual growth rate and tumour cell proliferation in human pulmonary neoplasms.

K M Kerr, D Lamb
PMCID: PMC1976798  PMID: 6087867

Abstract

Measurement of the Doubling Times [DT] for 27 human pulmonary neoplasms have been made. Squamous and large cell tumours had a wide range of values for DT whereas for small cell undifferentiated carcinoma, and possibly large cell undifferentiated carcinomata without stratification, the range was narrower. Mean DT for different primary bronchogenic carcinoma groups were: Squamous cell 146 days, Adenocarcinoma 72 days, Small cell 66 days, and Large Cell 111 days. The number of adenocarcinomata is very small in number and our value of 72 days is probably not representative of this group of tumours. Relationship between DT and tumour differentiation was difficult to identify in our series. Of these 27 a unique series of 17 have parallel data on DT and Potential Doubling Time (DTpot) and the Cell Loss Factor [0] calculated. Great discrepancy between DT and DTpot existed in each case and cell loss was high, ranging from 54% to 99%. All primary bronchogenic carcinomata had cell loss of greater than 70%; in almost two thirds of these cases the value was 90% or more. All undifferentiated tumours and a majority of poorly differentiated tumours had cell loss of 90% or more. As cell loss increased, tumour thymidine labelling index (TLI) increased and the tumours tended to be less well differentiated. The relationship, if any, between cell loss and DT was unclear.

Full text

PDF
343

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Bagshawe K. D. Tumour growth and anti-mitotic action. The role of spontaneous cell losses. Br J Cancer. 1968 Dec;22(4):698–713. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1968.83. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Bone G., Camplejohn R. The role of cellular immunity in control of neoplasia. Br J Surg. 1973 Oct;60(10):824–827. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800601017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bresciani F., Paoluzi R., Benassi M., Nervi C., Casale C., Ziparo E. Cell kinetics and growth of squamous cell carcinomas in man. Cancer Res. 1974 Sep;34(9):2405–2415. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. COLLINS V. P., LOEFFLER R. K., TIVEY H. Observations on growth rates of human tumors. Am J Roentgenol Radium Ther Nucl Med. 1956 Nov;76(5):988–1000. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Chahinian P. Relationship between tumor doubling time and anatomoclinical features in 50 measurable pulmonary cancers. Chest. 1972 Apr;61(4):340–345. doi: 10.1378/chest.61.4.340. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Charbit A., Malaise E. P., Tubiana M. Relation between the pathological nature and the growth rate of human tumors. Eur J Cancer. 1971 Aug;7(4):307–315. doi: 10.1016/0014-2964(71)90073-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Frindel E., Malaise E. P., Alpen E., Tubiana M. Kinetics of cell proliferation of an experimental tumor. Cancer Res. 1967 Jun;27(6):1122–1131. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. GARLAND L. H., COULSON W., WOLLIN E. The rate of growth and apparent duration of untreated primary bronchial carcinoma. Cancer. 1963 Jun;16:694–707. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196306)16:6<694::aid-cncr2820160603>3.0.co;2-j. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gurland J., Johnson R. O. Case for using only maximum diameter in measuring tumors. Cancer Chemother Rep. 1966 Mar;50(3):119–124. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kerr K. M., Robertson A. M., Lamb D. In vitro thymidine labelling of human pulmonary neoplasms. Br J Cancer. 1983 Feb;47(2):245–252. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1983.32. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Malaise E. P., Chavaudra N., Tubiana M. The relationship between growth rate, labelling index and histological type of human solid tumours. Eur J Cancer. 1973 Apr;9(4):305–312. doi: 10.1016/0014-2964(73)90099-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Meyer J. A. Growth rate versus prognosis in resected primary bronchogenic carcinomas. Cancer. 1973 Jun;31(6):1468–1472. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197306)31:6<1468::aid-cncr2820310623>3.0.co;2-u. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Muggia F. M., Krezoski S. K., Hansen H. H. Cell kinetic studies in patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung. Cancer. 1974 Nov;34(5):1683–1690. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197411)34:5<1683::aid-cncr2820340516>3.0.co;2-w. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Rabes H. M., Carl P., Meister P., Rattenhuber U. Analysis of proliferative compartments in human tumors. I. Renal adenocarcinoma. Cancer. 1979 Sep;44(3):799–813. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197909)44:3<799::aid-cncr2820440303>3.0.co;2-d. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. SPRATT J. S., Jr, SPJUT H. J., ROPER C. L. The frequency distribution of the rates of growth and the estimated duration of primary pulmonary carcinomas. Cancer. 1963 Jun;16:687–693. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(196306)16:6<687::aid-cncr2820160602>3.0.co;2-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. SPRATT J. S., Jr, SPRATT T. L. RATES OF GROWTH OF PULMONARY METASTASES AND HOST SURVIVAL. Ann Surg. 1964 Feb;159:161–171. doi: 10.1097/00000658-196402000-00001. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Shirakawa S., Luce J. K., Tannock I., Frei E., 3rd Cell proliferation in human melanoma. J Clin Invest. 1970 Jun;49(6):1188–1199. doi: 10.1172/JCI106333. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Steel G. G. Cell loss as a factor in the growth rate of human tumours. Eur J Cancer. 1967 Nov;3(4):381–387. doi: 10.1016/0014-2964(67)90022-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Steel G. G., Lamerton L. F. Cell population kinetics and chemotherapy. I. The kinetics of tumor cell populations. Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 1969 May;30:29–42. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Steel G. G. The cell cycle in tumours: an examination of data gained by the technique of labelled mitoses. Cell Tissue Kinet. 1972 Jan;5(1):87–100. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2184.1972.tb00358.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Steele J. D., Buell P. Asymptomatic solitary pulmonary nodules. Host survival, tumor size, and growth rate. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 1973 Jan;65(1):140–151. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Straus M. J., Moran R. E. Cell cycle parameters in human solid tumors. Cancer. 1977 Oct;40(4):1453–1461. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197710)40:4<1453::aid-cncr2820400416>3.0.co;2-e. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Terz J. J., Curutchet H. P., Lawrence W., Jr Analysis of the cell kinetics of human solid tumors. Cancer. 1971 Nov;28(5):1100–1110. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(1971)28:5<1100::aid-cncr2820280503>3.0.co;2-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Weiss W., Boucot K. R., Cooper D. A. Growth rate in the detection and prognosis of bronchogenic carcinoma. JAMA. 1966 Dec 19;198(12):1246–1252. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES