RATES OF GROWTH OF HUMAN SOLID NEOPLASMS .1.

The purpose of this article is to consolidate data collected from a va riety of sources that have permitted calculations of the rates of grow th of human neoplasms. These sources include Fischel State Cancer Hosp ital (Columbia, MO); Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, (St. Louis, MO); Roentgen Diagnostic Institute, Allmanna Sjukhuset (Malmo, Sweden) ; University of Louisville (Louisville, Kentucky); University of Heide lberg (Heidelberg, Germany); and St. Luke's Hospital (St. Louis, MO). Included in the data are laboratory measurements of cell replication r ates. All gross measurements were made either on imaging studies or wi th a centimeter scale for surface or palpable neoplasms. Data have bee n reported for breast and pulmonary cancers and metastases of many typ es, melanomas, skeletal sarcomas, benign and malignant colonic neoplas ms, and isolated cases of less frequent neoplasms. Related cytokinetic measurements by tritriated thymidine labelling, bromodeoxyuridine lab elling, S-phase fraction from DNA flow cytometric analysis, and mitoti c indices are discussed. The various mathematical formulae applicable to the analysis of the collected data and the determination of rates a nd patterns of growth are included. Also considered are the clinical i mplications of these data and the importance of ever better knowledge on the cytokinetics of human cancer. Prior studies on the evolution of insight into this field are cited and discussed. The authors conclude that a more accurate quantification of the growth rates of human canc er is essential for understanding the biological variance of human can cers seen clinically. (C) 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.