In vitro response of human small-cell lung-cancer cell lines to chemotherapeutic drugs; no correlation with clinical data.
Three cell lines derived from small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) tumors of patients who had no clinical response after treatment with a multi-drug regimen were compared to 3 cell lines derived from tumors of patients who, upon treatment, showed a complete clinical response. These 2 groups of cell lines were considered to represent the in vitro counterparts of the 2 extremes of the clinical spectrum of sensitivity for chemotherapeutic drugs in small-cell lung cancer. To assess whether the in vivo (in)sensitivity of a tumor to a certain drug regimen is retained in vitro, the cell lines were tested for drug sensitivity using the microtiter-well tetrazolium assay and the results were compared with the in vivo data. No correlation was found. Since in vitro models using cell lines are based on the assumption that a cell line reflects the properties of the tumor from which it is derived, several additional parameters such as MAb staining against different SCLC-associated antigens and DNA content were analyzed in the biopsies and the cell lines. The results showed that selection of discrete tumor-cell populations in vitro occurs. Results of in vitro chemosensitivity testing for individual SCLC patients should be interpreted with caution.
Smit
E F
EF
Dept. of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
de Vries
E G
EG
Timmer-Bosscha
H
H
de Leij
L F
LF
Oosterhuis
J W
JW
Scheper
R J
RJ
Weening
J J
JJ
Postmus
P E
PE
Mulder
N H
NH
D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004317:Doxorubicin