Tumor sensitivity to anti-cancer drugs predicted by changes in fluorescence intensity and polarization in vitro.

Background: We used the CellScan, a novel static cytometer, to monitor changes induced by anti-neoplastic drugs in the fluorescence intensity and polarization of fluorescently-labeled tumor cells.

Materials And Methods: T47D and T80 human breast cancer cell lines were exposed to navelbine and to 5-fluorouracil and the fluorescence properties of the treated cells, stained with fluorescein diacetate and rhodamine 123, were measured by the CellScan.

Results: A strong correlation was found between the inhibition of cell growth induced by the two drugs, as estimated from cell counts, and the resulting changes in fluorescence intensity and polarization, as monitored by the CellScan.

Adaptation of the cellscan technique for the SCM test in breast cancer.

The value of the SCM (Structuredness of Cytoplasmic Matrix) cancer test, a procedure based on the detection of differences in lymphocyte activation in the presence and absence of cancer, has remained controversial, with inconsistent results having been reported among investigators. The Cellscan, a high-precision static cytometer system, has been designed to perform the SCM test; the apparatus facilitates the polarisation measurements and can examine cells which have been separated by simpler procedures than were originally described. In this study, using methods and diagnostic criteria adapted for the Cellscan system in a hospital environment, the SCM test correctly classified over 90% (76/80) of patients with breast cancer and differentiated over 90% (72/73) of individuals without cancer.