[Clinical Assessment of Chemosensitivity Test in Xeno-free Culture of Autologous 
Malignant Effusion Cells from Patients with Advanced Lung Adenocarcinoma].

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: A great individual differences to chemotherapeutic effects existed in the patient with advanced lung cancer. How to choose the optimum regimens to achieve the individuation and maximum effect of chemotherapy for lung cancer is worth exploring. The study was designed to examine the effect of ex vitro chemo-sensitivity assay in xeno-free culture of autologous malignant effusion cells from patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma. METHODS: The 50 treatment-naive patients with lung adenocarcinoma complicated with malignant pleural or pericardial effusions were enrolled. Effusions of all cases had been controlled by closed drainage and 300 mL-500 mL of which were retained under sterile condition from 25 cases (Chemo-sensitivity group). Primary malignant effusion cells were isolated from autologous effusions of the patients. Then, xeno-free culture (average 11 days) were intervened with 8 chemotherapeutic drugs commonly used in clinical practice and were determined by CCK-8 assay. Optimum regimens were selected for chemotherapy based on the results of chemosensitivity test. As a contrast, chemotherapy regimens for the other 25 patients (Control group) were on the basis of physician's clinical experience. RESULTS: After four cycles of chemotherapy, in Chemo-sensitivity group, 17 (68.0%) cases were determined for partial response (PR), 5 (20.0%) cases for stable disease (SD), and the objective response rate (ORR) was 68.0%, the disease control rate (DCR) was 88.0%. Meanwhile, in Control group, 9 (36.0%) cases were determined for PR, 7 (28.0%) cases for SD, and, the ORR was 36.0%, the DCR was 64.0%. There were significant differences between the two groups in ORR and DCR (P<0.05). To the end of follow-up, there were 21 cases of death in Chemo-sensitivity group as well as 22 cases in Control group. The mean progression-free survival (PFS) in Chemo-sensitivity group and Control group respectively were 10.0 months and 5.8 months, and the mean overall survival (OS) in the two groups were 30.2 months and 21.2 months respectively. There were also significant differences between the two groups in PFS and OS (P<0.05). Furthermore, the adverse reactions in both groups were mild and controllable. CONCLUSIONS: Xeno-free culture of autologous malignant effusion cells from patients with advanced lung adenocarcinoma and ex vitro chemo-sensitivity assay are beneficial to the rational choices of chemotherapeutic agents used in patients with lung adenocarcinoma complicated with malignant effusions, which is a worthy trial in personalized cell culture for individualized cancer therapy and further studies.