[Purification kinetics of human tumors measured by flow cytometry]

We report on the use one-parameter DNA flow cytometry in the evaluation of the proliferation kinetics of malignant tumors. We emphasize the need of a background correction of the histograms in cases where the S-phase portion is used as a prognostic parameter for patients with malignant tumors. Flow cytometric investigations during the last 12 years with many thousand samples of human malignant tumors have shown that the described methodology can be used routinely as "assistant diagnosis" for a distinct group of tumors. These tumors comprise carcinomas of the breast and the ovaries and probably also of the endometrium. Regarding the relevance of the method for oropharyngeal squamous carcinomas, gliomas and meningiomas we have to await longterm results. In contrast, at present the method does not seem to be applicable for colorectal carcinomas and it is apparently not suitable for stomach carcinomas. It is also questionable whether data on proliferation kinetics gained in human tumors transplanted to nude mice can be as a basis in chemotherapeutic treatment of patients from whom the tumor originated.