Use of in vitro method to predict response of human ovarian carcinoma cells to chemotherapeutic agents.

In vitro tissue culture and sensitivity tests were carried out on 16 cases of ovarian cancer to select the right anticancer drug(s) on an individual basis. The predictive accuracy of the in vitro drug sensitivity tests were 81.8%. The drug(s) suggested by in vitro tests did not reveal any correlation to the type of ovarian cancer. The drug sensitivity of cells from primary growth was different from that of secondary growth. The in vitro screening test also provided the choice of the next best drug(s), once the tumor had become resistant to a particular drug(s). Thus, the overall prognosis of patients at an advanced stage of malignancy could be improved with the help of in vitro predictive tests.