title: A new complementary procedure for patients affected by head and neck cancer: Chemo-predictive assay.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Administration of ineffective anticancer therapy is associated with unnecessary toxicity and development of resistant clones. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) resist chemotherapy, thereby causing relapse of the disease. Thus, development of a test that identifies the most effective chemotherapy management offers great promise for individualized anticancer treatments. We have developed an ex vivo chemotherapy drug response assay (ChemoID(®)), which measures the sensitivity of CSCs as well as the bulk of tumor cells to a variety of chemotherapy agents to assist an oncologist in making treatment decisions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three patients affected by oral cancer were referred.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Biopsy showed a well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma (G1) in case 1, a G2 adenocarcinoma in case 2 and a G3 squamous cell carcinoma in case 3. In all of the three cases, after clinical inspection and suspicion of a diagnosis of cancer, a double biopsy was performed. One specimen was sent to the ChemoID laboratory for chemosensitivity assay and the other for histological analysis. Chemotherapy dose response curves were generated, and grouped in 3 categories: 1. No response (less than 30% cell kill), Intermediate (30-60% cell kill), and 3. Sensitive (60% cell kill or above).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This procedure may be useful in helping physicians choose an effective chemotherapy regimen for head and neck cancer patients and lower treatment costs by eliminating ineffective chemotherapies and unnecessary toxicity particularly in elderly patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy. Electronic address: ancortese@unisa.it.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy. Electronic address: giuseppepantaleo88@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pantaleo
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Surgery, Unit of Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Salerno, Salerno, Italy. Electronic address: mamato@unisa.it.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amato
authors.affiliation: McKown Translational Genomic Research Institute, Marshall University, Huntington, WV 25701, USA. Electronic address: loganlawrence38@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Logan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Pathology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Cabell Huntington Hospital, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA. Electronic address: Veronica.Mayes@chhi.org.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mayes
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Pathology, Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine, Cabell Huntington Hospital, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA. Electronic address: lbrown@marshall.edu.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: National Center for Natural Products Research and Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA. Electronic address: mrsarno@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Maria Rosaria
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Sarno
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, USA. Electronic address: valluri@marshall.edu.
authors.forename: Jagan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valluri
authors.affiliation: National Center for Natural Products Research and Department of BioMolecular Sciences, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, Oxford, MS, USA; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA. Electronic address: pclaudio@olemiss.edu.
authors.forename: Pier Paolo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Claudio
keywords: Cancer stem cells; ChemoID assay; Chemosensitivity assay; Drug response assay; Oral cancer