In vitro chemosensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma for hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy using the MTT assay with the combinations of antitumor drugs.

Abstract

Despite the hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy (HAI) has been advocated as an effective therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with multiple intrahepatic metastases, chemosensitivity of HCC for HAI with multidrug regimen has not been sufficiently investigated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the in vitro chemosensitivity of HCC using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay with the combinations of various antitumor drugs, and compared with the clinical results of HAI for patients with multiple intrahepatic recurrences of HCC. To evaluate the in vitro chemosensitivity of HCC to the combinations of antitumor drugs, 54 resected specimens of HCC were assayed using MTT assay with seven antitumor agents, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), mitomycin C (MMC), adriamycin (ADM), etoposide (VP-16), cisplatin (CDDP), methotrexate (MTX) and CPT-11 (SN-38), exposed singly, or in combination. The data were compared with the clinical results of HAI for patients who manifested the multiple intrahepatic recurrence. In addition, the in vitro combined effect of CDDP and 5-FU for human hepatocellular carcinoma cell, KYN-1 and KYN-2, was analysed quantitatively. Of 54 resected specimens, 40 specimens assayed successfully, and an increased in vitro chemosensitivity of HCC when treated with combinations of antitumor drugs was observed: single drug 12.2%, two drugs combined 50.9% and three drugs combined 67.0%. The results of in vitro assay were well correlated, 85.7% in predicting accuracy, with the clinical results of 14 patients who underwent HAI for multiple recurrence of HCC, and also correlated with the experimental results of the combined use of CDDP and 5-FU in KYN-1 and KYN-2 in terms of pharmacokinetic reactions, i.e. synergism or antagonism. The MTT assay with the combinations of antitumor drugs represents an informative chemosensitivity test to HAI with multidrug regimen for recurrence of HCC.