Dispersion of central nervous system tumors

✓ The phenomenon of tumor dispersion through cerebrospinal fluid is discussed in relation to observations made in tissue cultures of human central nervous system tumors. Satellite colony formation was observed in cultures of tumors that tend to spread through the CSF. Abnormalities of the tumor cell surface, particularly a reduction of cell-to-cell adhesiveness, probably are important. Although mechanical factors contribute to the formation of both CSF metastases and in vitro satellites, they do not offer a sufficient explanation for these phenomena.