title: Drug sensitivity of non small cell carcinoma of lung by clonogenic assay in several media.
abstract: Lung tumours of non small cell pathology were cultured by clonogenic assay in several media. Culture was successful in spleen conditioned medium, but only 57% grew and low plating efficiencies (PE) meant that only 23% of the original number produced significant drug results. Comparison of rat erythrocyte lysate (REL) medium with serum free defined medium (HITES) and HITES + 10% FBS demonstrated clear enhancement of PE in REL although growth was 100% successful in all these media. Ninety-three percent of samples tested against drugs in REL produced significant results. A later comparison of REL with McCoy's 5A + rbc +/- hydrocortisone produced relatively poor culture success for these 3 media and equivocal growth patterns. Low PE was attributed to age of rats used for rbc. Vindesine and cis-platinum cytotoxicity in spleen conditioned medium were 61% and 15% sensitivity respectively. These do not concur with clinical experience but the figures for overt resistance, at 39% and 69%, correspond with expected non-responders to these regimes. Drug testing in REL produced figures correlating more closely with clinical performance at 45% sensitivity to platinum and 36% of patients sensitive to both drugs, but the vindesine sensitivity at 55% is again discrepant with performance of this drug as a single agent.
mesh_terms: D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003114:Colony-Forming Units Assay; D003470:Culture Media; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D014410:Tumor Stem Cell Assay; D014751:Vindesine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D003470:Culture Media; D002945:Cisplatin; D014751:Vindesine