Studies on growth and enzymatic characteristics of human mammary tumours grown in heterologous host.

Human mammary tumours were grown in diffusion chambers in the heterologous host--Charle's Foster rat. The effect of oophorectomy-induced alterations of the hormonal environment of the host in breast tumour cells grown in the diffusion chamber were studied with respect to their growth patterns and enzymatic characteristics. The tumour cells not only survived but actively proliferated as indicated by the increase in cell count and formation of cell sheets as well as by the presence of mitotic figures. Cytochemical studies of certain enzymatic activities, i.e. succinic dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase and beta-glucuronidase indicate--except for a slight depression of the overall activity--that the distribution patterns are more or less maintained following diffusion chamber culture. The alteration of the hormonal environment by oophorectomy influences the cell growth and the enzymatic activity of the human tumour cells inside the diffusion chambers. The results clearly indicate that D.C. culture technique provides a useful method for assessment of growth and hormonal responsiveness of human tumours.