Cytotoxic drug testing in head and neck cancer by multiparametric flow cytometry.

Individual chemosensitivity assessment of solid tumors has been hindered by the lack of a reliable and rapid test system for predicting inhibition of tumor cell growth in vitro of all malignant cells and for distinguishing between inflammatory and tumor cells. Six long-term cultured and recloned squamous cell carcinoma lines of the head and neck were analyzed using a newly developed multiparametric flow cytometric technique. After incubation with cytotoxic drugs at different time intervals, each cell line showed its own chemosensitive profile. With this multiparametric staining technique, it is possible to monitor the in vitro response of tumor cells and to compare their quantitative behavior with that of nonmalignant inflammatory cells in solid tumors of the head and neck.