[Tumor factors concerned with primary culture of transitional cell carcinomas]

We investigated retrospectively tumor factors such as tumor organ, method of tumor collection, tumor morphology and grade, concerned with primary cultures of transitional cell carcinomas of bladder, renal pelvis and ureter. Moreover, we investigated whether chemotherapy before tumor collection influence on the success rate of primary culture. After mechanical disaggregation of specimens from 42 bladder cancers and 11 renal pelvic or ureter cancers, monolayer cultures were carried out. When epithelial growth or colony-formation was observed, we determined that primary culture was succeeded. In total 30 primary cultures out of 53 (56.6%) were successful and tumor organ or method of tumor collection did not influence primary cultures. The success rates in the groups of papillary tumors and non-papillary tumors were significantly different (72.4% and 37.4%, respectively). Culture was more successful with grade 1 tumors. Although intravesical chemotherapy before tumor collection did not influence the success rate of primary culture, one-shot intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy made it worse (p less than 0.05) and it was concerned with histopathological effects according to the classification of Shimosato and Oboshi.