Proliferation of human testicular tumours

Abstract

Whole tumour perfusion with radioactive DNA precursors reveals that proliferation of human testicular tumours differs widely depending on type and stage of development. In seminomas a homogeneous distribution of proliferating cells at early stages is followed by a shift of the growth fraction to the periphery at advanced stage. Embryonal carcinomas show a chessboard-like pattern of proliferating fractions with high 3H-thymidine labelling indices and short tpot. In mature teratomas proliferation is low. It increases in immature teratocarcinomas. Lack of proliferation is observed in beta-hCG-positive syncytiotrophoblastic cells of choriocarcinomas, the growth fraction being limited to the cytotrophoblastic compartment.