[Chemosensitivity testing of anticancer agents in head and neck tumors. I: Comparison between head and neck squamous cell cancers and thyroid cancers]

In vitro chemosensitivity was evaluated in 28 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (12 pharyngeal cancers, 7 oral cavity cancers, 4 laryngeal cancers, 4 maxillary sinus cancers and 1 esophageal cancer) and 19 patients with thyroid cancer. Tumor fragments obtained at biopsy or surgery were exposed to anticancer drugs and assayed for succinate dehydrogenase (SD) activity. The average of SD activity in squamous cell carcinomas was 63.2% for 5-FU, 24.6% for HCFU, 26.1% for CDDP, 41.0% for ADM, 28.4% for THP-ADM, 27.1% for ACR, 27.4% for CQ and 45.3% for VLB. In thyroid cancers, the average SD activity was 73.9% for 5-FU, 16.7% for HCFU, 32.6% for CDDP, 48.3% for ADM, 38.3% for THP-ADM, 57.3% for ACR, 39.0% for CQ and 75.3% for VLB. The SD activity inhibition rate by anticancer drugs was larger in cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas than in cases of thyroid cancers except for HCFU. Higher sensitivity to each antitumor drug detected in cancer tissues from metastatic lymph-nodes than in tissues from primary lesions needs further investigation.