agar and Rectal-Neoplasms

For use in routine clinical studies, modifications to Salmon and Hamburger's human tumor stem cell assay were made. A multiplate with 24 wells made the handling of a large number of samples feasible. The addition of anticancer drugs to the bottom layer of agar facilitated avoidance of exposure to drugs before cell plating and evaluation of the effect of long-acting drugs such as 5-fluorouracil. Storage of test plates including anticancer drugs in a freezer produced no loss of colony-forming activity. Specimens from 32 patients with advanced malignancies of the GI tract were tested for sensitivity to anticancer drugs. Forty-seven percent formed enough colonies for the performance of drug testing. Two patients showed sensitivity to drugs from both in vitro and in vivo results; the ascites in one disappeared while the other showed more than 50 percent regression of hepatic metastatic foci after treatment with suitable drugs. Nine patients showed resistance to drugs from both in vitro and in vivo results. Eight showed resistance to all tested drugs.

Topics: Adult; Agar; Aged; Antineoplastic Agents; Cell Count; Cell Division; Cells, Cultured; Colonic Neoplasms; Colony-Forming Units Assay; Culture Media; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Female; Fluorouracil; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Mitomycin; Mitomycins; Rectal Neoplasms; Stomach Neoplasms; Tumor Stem Cell Assay

Topics: Agar; Animals; Biopsy; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Survival; Colonic Neoplasms; Colony-Forming Units Assay; Culture Techniques; Female; Humans; Male; Melanoma; Melphalan; Mice; Neoplasms; Ovarian Neoplasms; Rectal Neoplasms; Tumor Stem Cell Assay

To examine the role of germinal mutation in transformation by phorbol esters, we studied the induction of anchorage-independent variants of mutant human diploid fibroblasts derived from normal-appearing skin of individuals with hereditary adenomatosis of the colon and rectum (ACR). Liquid cultures were chronically exposed to 12-0-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate (TPA), then plated in agar and injected subcutaneously into athymic mice. Cultured ACR cells showed an unusual biphasic dose response to TPA. Colony-forming cells in agar were obtained at a frequency of about 5 x 10(-5). They did not, however, seem to increase in frequency during subsequent passages in liquid cultures continuously exposed to TPA. The isolated anchorage-transformed clones showed an altered clonal morphology and a considerable increase in cloning efficiency in liquid cultures and agar. The results suggest that ACR cells may be used to screen for potential tumor promoters in our environment.

Topics: Adenoma; Agar; Animals; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; Cells, Cultured; Colonic Neoplasms; Fibroblasts; Humans; Mice; Mice, Nude; Neoplasm Transplantation; Phorbols; Rectal Neoplasms; Skin; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

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

Topics: Abdominal Neoplasms; Agar; Aged; Antigens, Neoplasm; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Division; Cells, Cultured; Clone Cells; Colonic Neoplasms; Female; Humans; Immune Sera; Immunity, Cellular; Kidney Neoplasms; Liposarcoma; Lymphocytes; Male; Melanoma; Methods; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Prostatic Neoplasms; Rectal Neoplasms; Thyroid Neoplasms

Topics: Adenocarcinoma; Adult; Agar; Animals; Antineoplastic Agents; Anus Neoplasms; Breast Neoplasms; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell; DNA; Dogs; Humans; Leucine; Leukocytes; Liver; Mice; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Neoplasms, Experimental; Parotid Neoplasms; Proteins; Radioisotopes; Rectal Neoplasms; RNA; Sulfhydryl Compounds; Thoracic Neoplasms; Thymidine; Uridine