Collagen gel matrix assay as an in vitro chemosensitivity test for malignant astrocytic tumors.

Background: The efficacy of individual chemotherapy based on chemosensitivity has scarcely been studied.

Methods: We examined the chemosensitivites for four anticancer agents - 1-(4-amino-2-methyl-5-pyrimidinyl) methyl-3 (2-chloroethyl)-3-nitrosourea hydrochloride (ACNU), carboplatin, cisplatin, and etoposide - of 43 malignant astrocytic tumors (21 anaplastic astrocytomas and 22 glioblastomas) by using a collagen gel matrix assay, and we also determined the survival periods of the tumor-bearing patients. The chemosensitivity was evaluated in terms of the growth inhibition rate, using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) method.

Isolated recurrence of granulocytic sarcoma manifesting as extra- and intracranial masses--case report.

A 30-year-old female presented with a rare case of isolated recurrence of granulocytic sarcoma manifesting as extra- and intracranial masses 16 months after successful treatment of acute myeloblastic leukemia (M-2). She presented with a swelling located on her forehead that had appeared just after hitting her forehead, and never diminished in size. The mass was elastic hard and not freely mobile.