title: The effect of surgical biopsy on the cell production rate of a murine tumour.
abstract: The rate of cell production of a mammary adenocarcinoma following surgical biopsy has been investigated using vincristine sulphate as a metaphase arrest agent. Small implants of the tumour were implanted into the inguinal region of young mice of both sexes and were seen to have a constant rate of cell production both between different tumour generations and during tumour growth. Such a constant rate of tumour cell production provides an extremely useful model for exploring the effects of surgical biopsy. Measurement of the cell production rate showed a 60 per cent decrease for the first 48 hours following biopsy after which recovery ensued to reach control levels again. Sham-anaesthetized controls and sham-resected controls demonstrated none of these changes. Similar depression in the rate of cell production was seen following biopsy of one tumour in mice bearing bilateral tumours. The 48-hour depression was observed both in the ipsilateral remnant tumour and in the contralateral implant which has not been biopsied.
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology*; D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D002455:Cell Division; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008325:Mammary Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D009368:Neoplasm Transplantation; D013997:Time Factors; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous