[In vitro chemosensitivity of lung cancer and other chest tumors evaluated by human tumor colony assay].

In vitro chemosensitivity of lung cancer and other chest tumors was evaluated by human tumor colony assay (HTCA). From 61 specimens 33 (54%) grew more than 30 colonies from which evaluation of chemosensitivity could be performed. Of 41 specimens of lung cancer, 26 (63%) yielded adequate growth for drug testing. Nine out of 26 specimens of non-small cell lung cancer showed more than 50% reduction in colony formation, and in 4 of the 26 specimens, more than 70% reduction was obtained with more than one of the drugs tested. Specimens obtained from metastatic lesions of lung cancer showed higher plating efficiency and drug sensitivity than those from primary lesions. Plating efficiency of non-epithelial tumors was lower than that of epithelial tumors. HTCA has a potential value for screening anticancer agents against lung cancer and other chest tumors. However, the assay still has many problems to be resolved, such as difficulty in obtaining single-cell suspensions and poor plating efficiency.