Predicting the chemosensitivity of ovarian and uterine cancers with the collagen gel droplet culture drug-sensitivity test

Anticancer Drugs. 2005 Jun;16(5):525-31. doi: 10.1097/00001813-200506000-00008.

Abstract

We investigated the utility of the collagen gel droplet culture drug-sensitivity test (CD-DST) for predicting the response of gynecological cancers to chemotherapy. Eighty-three cancer patients were enrolled in this study: 26 ovarian, 29 cervical and 31 endometrial cancers. The CD-DST was performed at various concentrations of drugs. We calculated the T/C ratio, where T is the total volume of the treated culture and C is the total volume of the control culture, and a T/C ratio of 50% or less was defined as sensitive in vitro. The efficacy rate (%) was defined as the number of cultures with a T/C ratio of 50% or less, divided by the total number of evaluable cultures. True-positive cases were defined as clinical responders (complete+partial responses) and true-negative cases were defined as clinical non-responders. The overall tumor evaluation rate was found to be 79.1%. The appropriate drug concentrations were selected as 1.0 microg/ml for cisplatin, 20.0 microg/ml for carboplatin, 1.0 microg/ml for paclitaxel and 0.1 microg/ml for docetaxel by the linear regression equations. The in vitro sensitivity for each drug showed a significant correlation with clinical response rates (r=0.592, p=0021). We therefore conclude that the CD-DST can be used to predict the response to anti-cancer drugs, and may also provide important information by contributing to the development of new chemotherapy regimens.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects*
  • Collagen Type I*
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor / methods
  • Endometrial Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Predictive Value of Tests
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured
  • Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / pathology*

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Collagen Type I