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Relationship between histopathology and in vitro clonogenicity in breast cancer

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Abstract

The human tumor clonogenic assay was used to culture 268 primary and metastatic breast cancer samples. Cultures of 181 specimens were prepared in the double-layer agar system and 87 in a modified system utilizing a liquid upper layer. Successful growth (>5 colonies) was 53% for the agar 2-layer method and 68% for the modified system. Three morphologically distinct colony types were observed: Type I — small, dark, compact colonies; Type II — clear colonies; and Type III — mixed colonies of Types I and II. In 73 cases the histologic slides of the original tumor specimens were reviewed, and the histopathological findings correlated with the clonogenicity of the specimens. There was a significant positive relationship between the degree of differen-tiation and focal microscopic tumor necrosis in the original specimen and its subsequent clonogenicity. However, other histologic parameters did not show any relationship with clonogenicity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Hipple Cancer Research Center and Wright State University School of Medicine, 4100 South Kettering Boulevard, 45439-2092, Dayton, Ohio, USA

    Jazbieh Moezzi, Francis Ali-Osman, Gary L. Nicholson, James S. Ungerleider & Martin J. Murphy Jr.

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  1. Jazbieh Moezzi
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  2. Francis Ali-Osman
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  3. Gary L. Nicholson
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  4. James S. Ungerleider
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  5. Martin J. Murphy Jr.
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Moezzi, J., Ali-Osman, F., Nicholson, G.L. et al. Relationship between histopathology and in vitro clonogenicity in breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Tr 8, 147–156 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01807703

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