In vitro response of human small-cell lung-cancer cell lines to chemotherapeutic drugs; no correlation with clinical data

✍ Scribed by E. F. Smit; E. G. E. de Vries; H. Timmer-Bosscha; L. F. H. M. de Leij; J. W. Oosterhuis; R. J. Scheper; J. J. Weening; P. E. Postmus; N. H. Mulder

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1992
• Tongue: French
• Weight: 844 KB
• Volume: 51
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0020-7136
• DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910510115

✦ Synopsis

Three cell lines derived from small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) tumors of patients who had no clinical response after treatment with a multi-drug regimen were compared to 3 cell lines derived from tumors of patients who, upon treatment, showed a complete clinical response. These 2 groups of cell lines were considered to represent the in vitro counterparts of the 2 extremes of the clinical spectrum of sensitivity for chemotherapeutic drugs in small-cell lung cancer. To assess whether the in vivo (in)sensitivity of a tumor to a certain drug regimen is retained in vitro, the cell lines were tested for drug sensitivity using the microtiter-well tetrazolium assay and the results were compared with the in vivo data. No correlation was found. Since in vitro models using cell lines are based on the assumption that a cell line reflects the properties of the tumor from which it is derived, several additional parameters such as MAb staining against different SCLC-associated antigens and DNA content were analyzed in the biopsies and the cell lines. The results showed that selection of discrete tumor-cell populations in vitro occurs. Results of in vitro chemosensitivity testing for individual SCLC patients should be interpreted with caution. 2H20 and 1.5 mM KHzPO4, pH 7.4); MAb, monoclonal antibody; MDR, multi-drug resistance; TBS, tumor biopsy specimen.