A model chemosensitivity test examining apoptosis in small specimens of gastric cancer

BACKGROUND: Because chemosensitivity tests usually require a large amount of tissue, they are not used routinely in patients with unresectable gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to investigate whether apoptosis can be used as a sensitivity assay for chemosensitivity in small gastric cancer specimens.METHODS: Apoptosis, detected by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick labeling (TUNEL), was investigated in small specimens of the MKN-1, MKN-45, and TMK-1 human gastric cancer cell lines as a marker of chemosensitivity following exposure to antineoplastic agents.RESULTS: Doxorubicin (DXR), SN-38 (active metabolite of irinotecan), and paclitaxel (Taxol) induced DNA fragmentation in MKN-45 and TMK-1 cells, but not in MKN-1. In contrast, neither 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) nor cisplatin (CDDP) induced DNA fragmentation in any of the three cell lines. Small pieces cut from tumors implanted in nude mice were exposed to the antineoplastic agents in culture medium for 24 h, and the percentage of TUNEL-positive cancer cells (TUNEL positivity) was examined. TUNEL positivity in all three cancers increased after exposure to DXR, SN-38, and Taxol, but not after exposure to CDDP or 5-FU. MKN-45 showed the highest TUNEL positivity with SN-38 and Taxol, and TMK-1 TUNEL positivity was highest with DXR. MKN-45 and TMK-1 were the most sensitive to these three antineoplastic agents in vitro, while MKN-1, with the lowest TUNEL positivity, was the least sensitive to these three antineoplastic agents. TUNEL positivity after exposure to Taxol correlated with the antitumor effects of this compound in an animal model.CONCLUSION: These results suggest that, in small gastric cancer specimens where apoptosis is implicated, TUNEL positivity may be applicable to a chemosensitivity test.