[Prognostic factors at the cellular level in the treatment of cancer].

Prognostic indicators in the clinical study were discussed at the cellular level in relation to the number of tumor stem cell, the rate of repopulation during the treatment course and cellular radio-chemosensitivity. The number of tumor stem cells seems to correlate to tumor volume in the narrowly defined tumor type, but may not in the mixed group of tumor types. Thymidine or BUdR labeling index may be an useful indicator of rate of repopulation and also of tumor aggressiveness. Cellular radio-chemosensitivity varies not only among tumor types but also among subpopulations within a tumor. Further investigations of tumor stem cell assay in the response to radio-chemotherapy using fresh tumor specimens from patients are certainly required before the assay methods are established.