An autoradiographic study of human gliomas: growth kinetics of anaplastic astrocytoma and glioblastoma multiforme.

When 3H-thymidine was administered either intravenously or intra-arterially to 9 patients with gliomas (5 glioblastoma multiforme, 3 anaplastic astrocytoma, and one mixed glioma) shortly before operation, and tissue obtained from the biopsy and, subsequently, at autopsy was examined by autoradiography, it was found that 2 of the glioblastomas diluted out the labelling in the two- to four-month interval between labelling and autopsy, whereas 3 other glioblastomas and the 2 anaplastic astrocytomas retained labelled neoplastic cells in parts of the tumours at autopsy after intervals of from three weeks to five months following labelling. Most patients whose tumours demonstrated foci of labelled cells at autopsy survived longer (1.5 to 7 years). Certain neoplastic cells in anaplastic astrocytomas and some glioblastomas appear either to limit cell division or to differentiate even in an environment favourable to cell proliferation.