title: The human tumor clonogenic assay in the treatment of patients with lung cancer.
abstract: The human tumor clonogenic assay has allowed the growth of human tumor cells and their testing to chemotherapeutic agents in vitro in a manner much like bacterial antibiotic sensitivities. This report deals with the in vitro test results compared with the in vivo therapeutic sensitivities of human lung cancer. Three hundred twenty-six lung tumor specimens from either primary or metastatic disease were plated using a two-layer technique. Of these, 68% (223) were grown and 41% (133) were applicable to chemosensitivity testing. Only 28 patients were considered for a retrospective analysis of in vitro tumor sensitivity versus in vivo tumor response to chemotherapeutic agents. Among them the percentage of true positives for the assay was 60%, while the percentage of true negatives was 91%. This technique has been encouraging in its initial stages and, with further development, may have an expanding role in the treatment of patients with lung cancer.
mesh_terms: D001681:Biological Assay; D002999:Clone Cells; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*