Abstract
Cytophotometric Fulgen-DNA measurement was carried out on mesothelial cells from the pleural surface and effusion in 27 autopsy cases (malignant pleuritis: 9, non-malignant: 18). By evaluating nuclear DNA amounts with a cellular activity index, the cell kinetics of mesothelial cells in pleuritis was studied.
In non-malignant pleuritis, mesothelial cells in effusion always showed higher activity than on the pleural surface and both showed a significant decrease of activity with progression of the inflammatory stage of pleuritis. In malignant pleuritis, however, the activity of the latter was often significantly higher than in the former and this reversal increased as the pleural inflammatory stage develops. This difference is probably due to various factors such as pleural metastasis, tumor invasion, or continuous and intensive pleural reactions caused by neoplastic proliferation.
