Evaluation of cytotoxic treatment of patients with osteosarcoma by an in vitro chemoresistance assay

• Published in: Anticancer research Vol. 20; no. 5B; p. 3603
• Main Authors: Agiostratidou, G, Demertzis, N, Gonos, E S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece 01-09-2000
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Bone Neoplasms - drug therapy; Bone Neoplasms - surgery; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; Cisplatin - administration & dosage; Cisplatin - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Doxorubicin - administration & dosage; Doxorubicin - pharmacology; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Drug Synergism; Female; Humans; Male; Methotrexate - administration & dosage; Methotrexate - pharmacology; Osteosarcoma - drug therapy; Osteosarcoma - surgery; Treatment Outcome; Tumor Cells, Cultured
• ISSN: 0250-7005

During the previous two decades several assays have been developed aiming to select the most effective chemotherapy regimen for each individual, avoiding the possible toxicity of ineffective drugs. In order to evaluate cytotoxic treatment for patients with osteosarcoma, we applied an in vitro chemoresistance assay by culturing tumour cells and determining their in vitro survival rates after exposure to various chemotherapeutic drugs. The conditions of the assay were optimised in two established osteosarcoma cell lines (KHOS and U2-OS), as compared with data derived after treatment of primary normal adult osteoblasts. Chemotherapeutic drugs (cisplatin, adriamycin or methotrexate or combinations) concentrations were chosen in a range that has been reported to induce tumour cell death in the plasma patients' The method applied successfully in 6 cell cultures originated from biopsies of 7 patients with osteosarcoma and the in vitro response to chemotherapeutic drugs was correlated with the clinical outcome. Such analysis revealed both positive and negative correlation of the in vitro data to the patients clinical responses. Therefore, this study indicated that, although in vitro chemoresistance is a valuable assay, additional analysis and implications of other factors are required for a general evaluation of cytotoxic treatment for patients with osteosarcoma.