Chromosome Aneuploidy in Human Malignancies: Effusions

Abstract

Cytological studies of experimental ascitic tumours in mice and rats have shown that free cells in the peritoneal fluid provide very suitable material for chromosome analyses, and their behaviour can be manipulated in experiments. Furthermore, it was observed that the ascitic fluid represents an environment in which malignant cells are independent, and can express unhindered their potentialities as regards proliferation and chromosome variability. The cytological findings in ascites tumours of animals stimulated similar studies into the effusions of cancer patients.