Sa. O'Toole et al., Serous papillary adenocarcinomas of the ovary display heterogeneity in their response to chemotherapy, INT J GYN C, 11(5), 2001, pp. 365-371
The response of ovarian serous papillary adenocarcinomas to various cytotox
ic drugs was examined using the (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5(3-carboxyme
thoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium, inner salt) (MTS) cytotoxici
ty assay. Thirty tumors were collected and organized into four groups accor
ding to histologic grade and FIGO stage: stage III, grade 2; stage III, gra
de 3; stage IV, grade 2; and stage IV, grade 3. The MTS chemosensitivity as
say was performed on each tumor to examine the response to cisplatin, pacli
taxel, hycamtin and the combination of cisplatin and paclitaxel. Ovarian ad
enocarcinomas of similar stage and grade displayed varying responses to the
same drug. A lower concentration of the drug was often as effective as the
peak plasma concentration. For some specimens combination therapy was more
effective for inhibiting tumor growth, and for others single-agent therapy
gave a better response. A chemosensitivity/resistance profile is recommend
ed before deciding on appropriate chemotherapy.