In Vivo and in Vitro Proliferation Kinetics of Sarcoma 180 in Solid Form

In order to obtain data for setting up a rapid and relatively inexpensive method for studying the proliferation kinetics of human solid tumors, we have determined the kinetic parameters of an experimental solid tumor (Sarcoma 180). The curve of labelled mitosis after pulse labelling with 3 H thymidine and the 3 H and 14 C thymidine double labelling technic on tumor samples incubated in vitro with the labelled precursors were used. A method of digestion of the tissue with hyaluronidase to obtain a cell suspension is described. This method allows easy identification of cells labelled with 3 H or 14 C thymidine. The two methods yielded reproducible results, the labelling index being 45%, and the duration of S phase 9.9 hours. The in vitro double labelling method with subsequent hyaluronidase digestion is proposed for studying the proliferation kinetics of solid malignancies.