Asynchronous DNA synthesis and asynchronous mitosis in multinuclear ovarian cancer cells.

Abstract

Summary Using autoradiographic techniques, the synchrony of DNA synthesis and mitosis in multinuclear cells from two patients with ovarian carcinomatous ascites was studied. The patients had previously been treated with surgery, radioactive phosphorus ( 32 P), radiotherapy, and Leukeran. The incidence of binuclear, trinuclear, quadrinuclear, and multinuclear (five or more nuclei per cell) in both tumors was estimated. Asynchronous DNA synthesis and asynchronous mitosis were frequent in the binuclear and trinuclear pools in the first patient and in all the cell pools in the second patient. Cytogenetic studies demonstrated aneuploidy in the tumor cells removed from both patients. The results demonstrate that the nuclei in multinuclear cells from treated ovarian cancer patients are capable of individual DNA synthesis and mitosis and are probably not dependent on cytoplasmic controlling factors as previously reported.