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Related Experiment Videos

The comet assay in clinical practice.

P L Olive1, R E Durand, S M Jackson

  • 1Medical Biophysics Department, British Columbia Cancer Research Centre, Vancouver, Canada. polive@bccancer.bc.ca

Acta Oncologica (Stockholm, Sweden)
|December 22, 1999
PubMed
Summary
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The comet assay quantifies radiation-resistant hypoxic cells in tumors. Most advanced tumors had a significant hypoxic fraction, indicating potential for targeted radiation therapy.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Radiation Biology
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Solid tumors often contain hypoxic (low oxygen) cells that are resistant to radiation therapy.
  • The comet assay, a DNA damage measurement technique, can identify these resistant cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the fraction of hypoxic cells in accessible metastatic tumors using the comet assay.
  • To assess the reliability of a single tumor sample for measuring hypoxic fraction.

Main Methods:

  • The comet assay (single-cell gel electrophoresis) was used to measure DNA damage in 73 metastatic tumors.
  • Sequential tumor aspirates were compared in 33 tumors to evaluate sample representativeness.

Main Results:

  • Hypoxic fractions in the studied tumors ranged from 0.0 to 0.67, with a mean of 0.15.

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  • 62% of advanced tumors exhibited a hypoxic fraction greater than 0.05.
  • A single tumor aspirate was found to be generally representative of the entire tumor (r2 = 0.88).

    • Conclusions:

    • The comet assay is effective in quantifying hypoxic fractions in accessible tumors.
    • A significant proportion of advanced tumors harbor radiation-resistant hypoxic cells.
    • The study highlights the potential of the comet assay for guiding radiation therapy, though it has limitations with conventional doses.