Abstract
In order to clarify the cell kinetics of hepatocytes in liver cirrhosis and hepatoma, both the DNA synthesis by means of tritiated thymidine radioautography and the DNA content of hepatocytic nuclei by means of Feulgen-microspectrophotometry in cirrhosis and noncancerous portion of hepatoma with cirrhosis were studied.
The incorporation of tritiated thymidine to hepatocytes in noncancerous portion of hepatoma as well as in cirrhosis, developed hepatoma 3 years later, increased markedly. The distribution of ploidy pattern as measured by microspectrophotometry in noncancerous portion of hepatoma was widely spread. Moreover, each paired nuclear DNA content of a binucleate cell had almost the same amount in normal liver in contrast to that the pair in noncancerous portion of hepatoma was as much different as in hepatoma cells. The ploidy pattern of hepatocytes in patients with liver cirrhosis, who had developed hepatoma during follow-up periods of several months to several years appears to resemble to that in noncancerous portion of hepatoma.
These results suggest the possibility that the hepatocytes themselves in noncancerous portion of hepatoma may be in a deranged state of cell cycles and this might be one of the driving factors for developing a malignancy.
