[Assessment of the correlation between proliferation defined by S-phase cell cycle and apoptosis after preoperative chemotherapy in osteosarcomas of children and adolescents].

Estimation of the S-phase of the cell cycle is applied to indicate the rate of cancer cells proliferation. This information is clinically useful, especially with the context of apoptosis (programmed cell death) stimulated by anticancer agents. The presented studies concerned above problems in children and adolescents osteosarcomas after preoperative chemotherapy. Flow cytometric method was used to analysis of S-phase cell cycle, aneuploidy and apoptosis (DNA histograms). The studies have shown that higher apoptotic index (percentage of apoptotic cells in "pre-G1/G0" position of DNA histograms), correlated with lower S-phase cell cycle and lower aneuploid fraction. It suggests that used chemotherapy treatment (Cisplatin, Adriamycin) induce apoptosis during S-phase cell cycle. Preliminary data are potentially important to predict clinical outcome after starting chemotherapy. This suggestion should be confirmed by estimation of other markers (early and late) of apoptosis.