Evaluation of chemosensitivity testing with highly purified tumor cells in 435 patients with gastric carcinoma using an MTT assay.
BACKGROUND
We evaluated the results of chemosensitivity testing for gastric cancer using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in terms of the correlation of chemosensitivity and clinicopathological findings.


METHODS
We analyzed 435 consecutive patients with gastric cancer treated between January 1991 and January 2002. Highly purified fresh human gastric cancer cells were obtained from 485 lesions including 415 primary tumors and 70 metastatic tumors.


RESULTS
CDDP and 5-FU were more potent drugs than MMC, ADR and VP-16. The chemosensitivity of metastatic tumors was lower than that in primary tumors. The chemosensitivity in differentiated cancer was equivalent to that in undifferentiated cancer. The manner of tumor invasion and clinical stage affected chemosensitivity for some drugs.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that individual chemosensitivity testing is essential to individualize chemotherapy for gastric cancer.
Noguchi
Kohei
K
Second Department of Surgery, Wakayama Medical University, School of Medicine, Wakayama, Japan.
Iwahashi
Makoto
M
Tani
Masaji
M
Nakamura
Masaki
M
Nakamori
Mikihito
M
Nakatani
Yoshihiro
Y
Ueda
Kentaro
K
Ishida
Koichiro
K
Naka
Teiji
T
Ojima
Toshiyasu
T
Hotta
Tsukasa
T
Mizobata
Shizuma
S
Yamaue
Hiroki
H
D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004317:Doxorubicin / Q000494:pharmacology; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor / Q000379:methods*; D005047:Etoposide / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D013778:Tetrazolium Salts; D013844:Thiazoles; D016685:Mitomycin; D005047:Etoposide; D004317:Doxorubicin; C022616:thiazolyl blue; D002945:Cisplatin; D005472:Fluorouracil