In vitro melanoma cell growth after preenucleation radiation therapy
C. Z. Kenneally, M. G. Farber, M. E. Smith and R. Devineni
Department of Ophthalmology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis.
The in vitro efficacy of 20 Gy (2000 rad) of external beam irradiation
delivered to patients with choroidal melanomas prior to enucleation was
investigated in 11 patients whose tumors were grown in cell culture.
Phase-contrast microscopy was used to compare growth patterns between
irradiated and nonirradiated tumors. Cell types were determined by
histologic stains, and electron microscopy identified intracytoplasmic
melanin. Irradiated melanomas did not grow and did not attach to culture
flasks, thus demonstrating that preenucleation irradiation alters the in
vitro growth of melanoma cells.
