In Vitro Chemoresistance And Chemosensitivity Assays

In vitro chemoresistance and chemosensitivity assays have been developed to provide information about the characteristics of an individual patient's malignancy to predict potential responsiveness of their cancer to specific drugs. Oncologists may sometimes use these assays to select treatment regimens for a patient. Several assays have been developed that differ concerning the processing of biologic samples and detection methods. However, all involve similar principles and share protocol components including (1) isolation of cells and establishment in an in vitro medium (sometimes in soft agar); (2) incubation of the cells with various drugs; (3) assessment of cell survival; and (4) interpretation of the result.