Ovarian carcinoma cells in culture: assessment of drug sensitivity by clonogenic assay.

Ovarian tumours were cultured by clonogenic assay and drug sensitivity profiles obtained for cis-platinum, adriamycin and phosphoramide mustard. Results were correlated with clinical outcome. Two hundred samples were received from 106 patients and 115/167 with malignant cytology (69%) were cultured successfully. Drug results were obtained on 71 samples and in untreated patients 60% of samples (48% of patients) were markedly sensitive to cis-platinum and 87% of samples (76% of patients) were sensitive to adriamycin. Eighty-one percent of cases sensitive to adriamycin were also sensitive to cis-platinum. Two of 7 samples were sensitive to phosphoramide mustard; the remainder were resistant. Eighty percent of samples from treated patients were resistant in vitro to drugs already received. Seventy-one samples from 57 patients were suitable for drug study. Forty-eight patients received chemotherapy, but only 23 received the drugs tested. Clinical correlations showed that in vitro sensitivity to cis-platinum and adriamycin was related to a good clinical response. No correlations were observed between cis-platinum and adriamycin resistance in vitro and clinical outcome. Unexpected relationships, however, were observed between cis-platinum resistance and failure to respond to other alkylating agents received singly. No such relationship has been demonstrated for adriamycin.