title: Slice cultures from head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: a novel test system for drug susceptibility and mechanisms of resistance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) fundamentally vary in their susceptibility to different cytotoxic drugs and treatment modalities. There is at present no clinically accepted test system to predict the most effective therapy for an individual patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therefore, we established tumour-derived slice cultures which can be kept in vitro for at least 6 days. Upon treatment with cisplatin, docetaxel and cetuximab, slices were fixed and paraffin sections were cut for histopathological analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apoptotic fragmentation, activation of caspase 3, and cell loss were observed in treated tumour slices. Counts of nuclei per field in untreated compared with treated slices deriving from the same tumour allowed estimation of the anti-neoplastic activity of individual drugs on an individual tumour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HNSCC-derived slice cultures survive well in vitro and may serve not only to improve personalised therapies but also to detect mechanisms of tumour resistance by harvesting surviving tumour cells after treatment.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University Leipzig, Liebigstraße 13, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Gerlach
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University Leipzig, Liebigstraße 13, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Merz
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstraße 10-14, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wichmann
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstraße 24, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kubick
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstraße 24, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wittekind
authors.affiliation: University Cancer Center Leipzig, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstraße 20, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lordick
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Leipzig, Liebigstraße 10-14, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dietz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University Leipzig, Liebigstraße 13, Leipzig 04103, Germany.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bechmann
mesh_terms: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized / Q000494:pharmacology; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000068818:Cetuximab; D002945:Cisplatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000077143:Docetaxel; D019008:Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor / Q000379:methods*; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D000077195:Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck; D043823:Taxoids / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D061067:Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D053148:Caspase 3; D000068818:Cetuximab; D002945:Cisplatin