Cytogenetic analysis of human tumor cells cloned in agar.

Cytogenetic analysis of human tumors is rapidly coming of age as a useful tool in the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer. With the use of chromosome-banding analysis, an increasing display of tumors containing cytologically recognizable nonrandom chromosome change is accumulating. Additionally, with avenues of assessing drug resistance and sensitivity, current cytogenetic analyses are yielding clinically relevant information. Finally, the blending of cytogenetics with biochemistry and cell biology is yielding an impressive array of research tools for the subcellular study of cancer. DNA hybridization, gene cloning, autoradiography of various drug and hormonal chromosomal binding sites, gene mapping, and numerous other related techniques are providing fresh insights into the genetic basis of cancer. It seems clear that during the next decade substantial progress in understanding chromosome structure and function in normal cells as well as tumor cells will occur. Technical advances in the methodology for growing and harvesting tumor cells for detailed cytogenetic analysis will undoubtedly be important in this effort. Application of the described soft agar colony technique may provide a useful tool for study of the genetics of human solid tumors.