[Pretherapeutic testing of cytostatic drugs in head and neck cancers]

In experiments with an in vitro cultured squamous cell carcinoma line of the head and neck the usefulness of multiparametric flow cytometry is demonstrated. With this method fast determinations of the different reaction profiles from various cytotoxic agents are feasible in short as well in long term incubation periods. For the first time the effects on tumor cells and on non malignant cells may be compared in the same analysis. As in each experiment local immunocompetent cells are present, their influence is in addition well documentable. Thus as soon as a direct clinical correlation will be demonstrated, multiparametric flow cytometry will allow an individual cytotoxic drug testing for chemosensitivity and resistance in autologous serum giving pretherapeutically further insights in the non-malignant biologic characteristics of the tumor cells and of the cells within a solid tumor. In the present study the advantages of the multiparametric flow cytometry towards other approaches for chemosensitive drug testing will be discussed.