Effect of partial and sham hepatectomy on the growth of a hepatocellular carcinoma

We examined the effect of pal-tial hepatectomy on the proliferation of hepa toma ES 12a grafted into C3H/S mice compared to tumor growth in sham-hepate ctomized controls. The animals were sacrificed every 4 hrs during three day s fi om the 6(th) to the 78(th) h following each type of surgery. Unoperate d tumor-bearing mice were likewise killed as controls, but only during one complete circadian period. All animals received 2 mug of colchicine per g o f body weight intraperitoneally 4 hrs before decapitation. Measurement of m itotic indices in hematoxylin-eosin-stained tumor samples revealed a decrea se in proliferation and a modification of the diurnal mitotic-activity prof ile in the hepatectomized and sham-operated animals from the first day afte r surgery. These differences persisted by the third postoperative day only in the hepatectomized animals. Thus, although surgical stress may initially affect tumor growth, the latter results must be the effect of the influenc e of the hepatic regeneration.