Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rsci

Click here to sign up for SAGE Journal Email Alerts today!

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Flick, M. B.
Right arrow Articles by Mor, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Flick, M. B.
Right arrow Articles by O'Malley, D.
Right arrow Articles by Rutherford, T.
Right arrow Articles by Rodov, S.
Right arrow Articles by Kamsteeg, M.
Right arrow Articles by Hao, X.-Y.
Right arrow Articles by Schwartz, P.
Right arrow Articles by Kacinski, B. M.
Right arrow Articles by Mor, G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation, Vol. 11, No. 4, 252-259 (2004)
DOI: 10.1016/j.jsgi.2003.11.003

Apoptosis-Based Evaluation of Chemosensitivity in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Maryann B. Flick, PhD

David O'Malley, MD

Thomas Rutherford, MD, PhD

Sofya Rodov, MS

Marijka Kamsteeg, MD

Xiao-Ying Hao, MD

Peter Schwartz, MD

Barry M. Kacinski, MD

Departments of Therapeutic Radiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut

Gil Mor, MD, PhD

Departments of Therapeutic Radiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, Connecticut gil.mor{at}yale.edu

Objective: Induction of apoptosis in target cells is a key mechanism by which chemotherapy induces cell killing. We have established an in vitro system for determining the chemosensitivity of epithelial ovarian cancer cells to carboplatin and paclitaxel (Taxol). Practical assays to predict the likelihood of individual tumor sensitivity are needed to facilitate the choice of adequate treatment. We sought to determine whether epithelial ovarian cancer cells (EOC) collected from the ascites fluid of patients known to be clinically chemosensitive or chemoresistant to carboplatin and paclitaxel would show a similar response to chemotherapeutic drugs after in vitro treatment.

Methods: Thirteen patients with stage III and IV ovarian cancer treated with carboplatin and paclitaxel were studied. Caspase-3 activation was used as a surrogate marker for activation of chemotherapy-induced programmed cell death. We compared the in vitro apoptotic response to the clinical response of the patients from whom the tumor cells were isolated. Clinical sensitivity was defined as no evidence of disease recurrence for 6 months after optimal debulking surgery and completion of chemotherapy.

Results: Of seven chemosensitive patients, five cell samples treated in vitro had increased caspase-3 activity in response to both carboplatin and paclitaxel. Five of six chemoresistant cases did not show caspase-3 activity in response to only one or to neither agent.

Conclusion: Quantifiable markers of apoptosis such as caspase-3 activation have the potential to predict the clinical response to chemotherapy. Application of this assay in clinical laboratories could optimize the potential for efficient treatment and avoid the toxicities of ineffective drugs.

Key Words: Carboplatin • paclitaxel • caspase-3 • apoptosis • chemotherapy • ovarian cancer


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?