The Effects of Normal and Cancer Serum on Liver Regeneration in Mice

OLLOWING PARTIAL HEPATECTOMY, RESTORAF tion of liver weight normally occurs very rapidly. According to McLaughlin16-18 this regeneration is slowed down by injections of normal serum into partially hepatectomized rats whereas serum from cancer patients produces no inhibition or even slight stimulation. I t was claimed that these results are independent of the amount of malignant tissue present in the patient at the time of obtaining the serum since serum from patients with carcinoma in situ or after radical surgery showed the same effect as serum from cases with massive tumor deposits. McLaughlin18 described a method of fractionation of the serum and Wilkins,25 using this technique, confirmed McLaughlin’s results in a series of patients with gliomata. In these observations the differentiation between normal and malignant serum was remarkably clear cut. In view of the interest and importance of these results as a potential method of diagnosis it was decided to repeat the work.