An Experimental Study on Testing the Sensitivity of Cultured Human Lung Cancer Cells to Anti-cancer Drugs

The sensitivity of cultured human lung cancer cells to anti-cancer drugs was tested. For the assay of sensitivity, the inhibition by drugs on the growth of microcolonies of cancer cells in microplates (Falcon, Micro Test II) was measured. Its inhibition of over ninety per cent was evaluated for the drug to be effective. The results obtained were as follows; 1. The drug sensitivity of cancer cells seemed to correlate with their growth speed. 2. The primarily cultured cancer cells or established cancer cell lines of the same cell type and growth speed showed a different drug sensitivity. 3. The drug sensitivity of cancer cells was elevated when they were established or when they changed their character during the passage. 4. The success rate of the test in primarily' cultured cases rose to seventy per cent by the use of discontinuous density gradients that separate cancer cells from other cells or cell debris. 5. The drug sensitivity of primarily cultured cancer cells differed from each other and the clinical usefulness of this test was suggested.