Quantitative estimation of tumor metastasis by measurement of DNA polymerase activity.

Metastatic tumor burden in the lung of C57BL/6 or BDF1 mice was quantitated by measuring DNA polymerase alpha activity in the lung of tumor-bearing animals. DNA polymerase activity in the lung increased time-dependently following the inoculation of Lewis lung carcinoma (s.c.) or B16 melanoma variant B16-B2 (i.v.). In the Lewis lung carcinoma system, the number of metastatic modules and the weight of lung also increased time-dependently. Results from the B16 melanoma showed that the increase in lung nodules occurred 10 to 20 days after i.v. inoculation of tumor cells. DNA polymerase activity increased significantly during this period. Because the lung nodules were very small there was no obvious concomitant increase in lung weight. Since no significant infiltration of host cells was observed in the lung in response to metastatic foci, the rise in DNA polymerase activity should be due to tumor cells and not to infiltrating host cells. When the metastasis of Lewis lung carcinoma was inhibited by adriamycin and cyclophosphamide, decrease in DNA polymerase activity in the lung occurred. These results indicate that the degree of tumor metastasis can be quantitated by measuring DNA polymerase activity.