[Effects of carboplatin combination with etoposide against leukemia/lymphoma cell lines]

We studied the effects of carboplatin in combination with etoposide in human B-cell lymphoma cell lines, BALL-2, Dauji and human T-cell leukemia cell lines, CEM, HSB and MOLT-3 cells. Cells were incubated for 3 days in the presence of carboplatin and etoposide, and the combined drug and cell growth inhibition was determined by MTT assay. The effects of drug combinations at ID80 were analyzed by an improved isobologram method (Steel and Peckham). In the combination of carboplatin with etoposide, the data points fell in the envelope of additivity (additive effect) in all five cell lines. Synergistic and antagonistic effects were not observed. These findings suggest that the combination of carboplatin and etoposide are as effective as expected.