title: In vitro response of human small-cell lung-cancer cell lines to chemotherapeutic drugs; no correlation with clinical data.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: de Vries
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Timmer-Bosscha
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: de Leij
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Oosterhuis
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Scheper
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Weening
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Postmus
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Mulder
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004317:Doxorubicin