agar and Head-and-Neck-Neoplasms

Modified agar pre-embedded paraffin embedding method was proposed to evaluate the effects on tissue integrity, histological morphology, protein and DNA detection in small specimens of core needle biopsies.. The core needle biopsy specimens of 10 patients with oral mucosal squamous cell carcinoma were subjected to modified agar pre-embedded paraffin embedding using molded embedding molds and conventional paraffin embedding respectively, the dehydration time of the former was 3.5 h and that of the latter was 12 h. After tissue treatment, H-E staining, histological morphology, immunohistochemistry (IHC), and DNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed, respectively. The results were compared and analyzed using GraphPad Prism 9 software package.. The modified agar pre-embedding method was less difficult to perform than the agar pre-embedding method, and easier to be promoted. Compared with conventional paraffin embedding method, the tissue dehydration time was significantly reduced(P＜0.001), and the results of microscopic histological morphology and subsequent IHC and FISH assays were reliable.. The modified agar pre-embedded paraffin embedding method meets the requirements of clinical pathological diagnosis for tissue processing, and is worthy of clinical application for core needle biopsy specimens.

Topics: Agar; Biopsy; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle; Dehydration; DNA; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; Paraffin Embedding

An in vitro human tumor cell assay was used in an attempt to culture head and neck tumors from patients with squamous cell carcinomas. Initially, specimens from nine head and neck tumors were disaggregated by mechanical methods and assayed in soft agar. Five of nine tumors grew in the soft-agar system yielding a cloning success rate of 56%. Plating of 5 X 10(5) cells resulted in 12 to 255 colonies per plate after 21 days in culture, with a cloning efficiency between 0.002% and 0.08%. Recently, the authors replaced the agar with an agarose culture matrix. Of 10 specimens with positive pathology, 9 have shown colony growth (greater than 20 cells). Cloning efficiency in agarose improved approximately 2-fold. Morphologic assessment of tumor colonies in culture showed the same characteristics as those of the original tumor. Overall success rate of growing head and neck tumors in agar and agarose has been 14 of 19 patients (74%). The development of a soft agarose assay for head and neck tumor cells should provide an in vitro technique for predicting in vivo response to anticancer drugs and other therapeutic modalities such as radiotherapy and hyperthermia.

Topics: Agar; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cells, Cultured; Cytological Techniques; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Sepharose; Stem Cells

Topics: Agar; Bone Marrow; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Clone Cells; Cytoplasm; Desmosomes; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Melanoma; Microscopy, Electron; Neuroblastoma; Skin Neoplasms

Topics: Agar; Biopsy; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cell Division; Cell Line; Clone Cells; Colonic Neoplasms; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans; Intestinal Neoplasms; Neuroblastoma; Rectal Neoplasms

The soft-agar stem-cell assay was applied to head and neck cancer. We have successfully grown 23 (64%) of 36 head and neck tumors from both primary lesions and metastases. More poorly differentiated tumors had positive cultures more frequently than well-differentiated tumors. The plating efficiency (colonies per cells in the inoculum) averaged 0.006% (range, 0.001% to 0.08%). The system allows testing and sensitivity of individual tumors to cancericidal drugs, and our initial trials using methotrexate, bleomycin sulfate, and cisplatin (cisplatinum) show a high degree of variability between individual tumors.

Topics: Agar; Antineoplastic Agents; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; Cells, Cultured; Colony-Forming Units Assay; Drug Resistance; Head and Neck Neoplasms; Humans