COMPARISON OF GLUCOSE-CONSUMPTION AND THYMIDINE-INCORPORATION END-POINTS IN HISTOCULTURED HUMAN SUPERFICIAL BLADDER-TUMORS

Glucose consumption and trtiated thymidine incorporation were monitore d for 54 days in histocultured human superficial transitional cell car cinoma of the bladder, indicating that long-term histoculture of human transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder is feasible. The glucose-c onsumption rate was relatively similar among the histocultured specime ns and depended on the size of the explant in histoculture. Tritiated thymidine incorporation, on the other hand, varied greatly between the histocultured specimens. In addition, [H-3]thymidine incorporation va ried in single histocultures between cells in the original explant and those invading the gel. From these results, we conclude that the gluc ose consumption rate in histocultured human superficial bladder tumor is mole reliable and sensitive than thymidine incorporation. The gluco se-consumption endpoint is simple to measure and nondestructive, allow ing multiple measurements on a single culture, unlike the thymidine in corporation endpoint.