Tissue cultures from cerebrospinal fluid specimens in the study of human brain tumors

Abstract

CSF specimens (109) from patients with varying neurological disorders were incubated in tissue culture medium for 1, 3 and sometimes 7 days. Strict criteria for malignancy were applied to cells found at these intervals. In 35 patients with verified CNS neoplasms, 8 cases had malignant cells and 11 others had doubtful cells by tissue-culture analysis. Of these cases 33 were also examined with standard millipore cytological techniques: 6 had malignant cells and 4 had doubtful cells. Of 50 cases with inflammatory or other non-neoplastic conditions, cells were cultured in 13. None was considered malignant by the criteria employed. Tissue culture of CSF has several potential benefits. Even with stringent criteria, it is possible to demonstrate the presence of unequivocally malignant cells in CSF by tissue culture. The systemic application of such criteria may eventually increase the positive identification of malignancies. Since these cells are growing, the degree of malignancy may be more accurately determined by a study of growth in culture which could not be done by conventional methods. Tissue culture can help to guide therapy in certain instances in which a surgical biopsy cannot be obtained.