[Pretherapeutic testing of sensitivity to cytostatic drugs in primary cultures of selected urologic tumors].

In 30 patients with malignant urologic tumours (scrotal tumours, renal tumours, tumours of the urinary bladder) an in vitro cultivation of the primary tumor was tried. According to the technique of Tannenberger and Bacigalupo 21 primary cell cultures could be applied. This corresponds to an accession rate of 70%. After formation of a cell lawn and addition of cytostatics of the arbitrarily selected medicaments vinblastin, bleomycin, cis-DDP, actinomycin D the reaction of the cells on the drugs was judged light-microscopically and electrophysiologically by measuring the transmembrane potential 24 hours after the application of medicaments. Thus apart from a usual oncobiogram which has as its fundament the morphology of the cells an electrooncobiogram could be established. The authors dealt with the methodology of the TMP-measurement after Redmann as a relatively new method for the pretherapeutic sensitisation test of tumours. The reactions of the cells to the cytostatics mentioned were so multifarious in the 3 groups of tumours that no conclusions of general validity could be drawn. These different modes of reaction are to be regarded as an expression of the biological individuality of human tumours. Apart from answering theoretical questionings the TMP-measurements might be used in the pretherapeutic sensitisation test of cytostatics in malignant renal tumours.