In vitro chemosensitivity using the histoculture drug response assay in human epithelial ovarian cancer.
The choice of chemotherapeutic drugs to treat patients with epithelial ovarian cancer has not depended on individual patient characteristics. We have investigated the correlation between in vitro chemosensitivity, as determined by the histoculture drug response assay (HDRA), and clinical responses in epithelial ovarian cancer. Fresh tissue samples were obtained from 79 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. The sensitivity of these samples to 11 chemotherapeutic agents was tested using the HDRA method according to established methods, and we analyzed the results retrospectively. HDRA showed that they were more chemosensitive to carboplatin, topotecan and belotecan, with inhibition rates of 49.2%, 44.7%, and 39.7%, respectively, than to cisplatin, the traditional drug of choice in epithelial ovarian cancer. Among the 37 patients with FIGO stage III/IV serous adenocarcinoma who were receiving carboplatin combined with paclitaxel, those with carboplatin-sensitive samples on HDRA had a significantly longer median disease-free interval than patients with carboplatin-resistant samples (23.2 vs. 13.8 months, p < 0.05), but median overall survival did not differ significantly (60.4 vs. 37.3 months, p = 0.621). In conclusion, this study indicates that HDRA could provide useful information for designing individual treatment strategies in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, University of Ulsan, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
Shin-Wha
SW
Lee
Yong-Man
YM
Kim
Moon-Bo
MB
Kim
Dae-Yeon
DY
Kim
Jong-Hyeok
JH
Kim
Joo-Hyun
JH
Nam
Young-Tak
YT
Kim
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000077216:Carcinoma, Ovarian Epithelial; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009375:Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology