Representativity of human mammary tumor cell cultures: DNA-cytophotometry as a method for checking tumour cell characteristics.

Short term cultures (3-6 days) of 40 primary human mammary carcinomas were prepared and compared with the original tumours from which they were derived. As a criterion the nuclear DNA Frequency Distribution Pattern (FDP), cytophotometrically measured, was used. Comparisons were made between the FDPs of smears of freshly-cut tumour surfaces and their cultures.

[Tissue culture investigations on the distinction between hereditary and sporadic retinoblastoma (author's transl)].

The growth pattern in tissue culture of cells derived from retinoblastoma is different for all cases with known heredity and most of the cases with unknown heredity. It is concluded that those of the latter, that show a growth pattern that is identical with that of the hereditary cases, represent the hereditary cases in the group with unknown heredity.