Fl. Baker, CELL-KINETICS AND THE IN-VIVO VS IN-VITRO RESPONSE OF HUMAN TUMORS TOCHEMOTHERAPY DRUGS - A COMMENTARY, Oncology Reports, 2(6), 1995, pp. 1125-1126
The response of tumors to chemotherapy is complex. Of the many factors
that affect the in vivo response to drugs, cell proliferation kinetic
s and intrinsic chemosensitivity play important roles. The response of
primary tumor cells to drugs in vitro is likewise complex. Data from
this laboratory shows that quiescent reproductive cells from fresh tum
ors are recruited into the cell cycle within the first four days of cu
lture. As quiescent cells are inherently chemoresistant, their recruit
ment into the cell cycle during incubation artifactually increases dru
g sensitivity and complicates the interpretation of sensitivity or res
istance. It is suggested that the limited positive predictive accuracy
and the poor impact on survival of chemosensitivity assays may be imp
roved by considering cell proliferation kinetics in the interpretation
of in vitro chemosensitivity measurements.