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Cell Proliferation in Human Basal Cell Carcinoma¹

Department of Dermatology, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, Florida 33136

Information about cell proliferation kinetics in human cancers has been limited by the inaccessibility of most tumors. Basal cell carcinomas are very common, slowly growing, locally invasive tumors of skin that have been studied by autoradiographic techniques using tritiated thymidine in vivo. The reproductive cycle of the germinative cell population was analyzed. The DNA synthesis period was found to be 20 hr; the G₁ period, 188 hr; the G₂ period, 7 hr; the mitotic period, 1.5 hr; and the total germinative cycle, approximately 217 hr. These results indicate that there is more cell proliferation activity in a basal cell carcinoma than suggested by the clinically apparent slow growth of the tumor. Therapeutic aspects of basal cell carcinoma are discussed relating to chemotherapeutic drugs.

¹ This investigation was supported by NIH Research Grants CA-10292 and AM-11559 and a grant from the John A. Hartford Foundation. The facilities of the General Clinical Research Center supported by NIH Grant FR 0261 were used.

Received 6/10/69. Accepted 8/11/69.