Histoculture of human breast cancers

Abstract

Breast cancers from 53 patients were explanted in culture, and 39 with two-year or more follow-up and documentable tissue forms of cancer in culture (histoculture) are the subject of this report. Clinicopathologic findings have been correlated with dynamic aspects of the cancers in short-term histocultures, including cell cohesiveness, yield and survival time of the cancer cells in culture, emigration of macrophages from the explants, and the occurrence of special interactions of lymphocytes with cancer cells. The outstanding finding was the association of special lymphocyte-cancer cell interactions with a more favorable prognosis; six of seven patients (86%) with infiltrating ductal cancer showing lymphocyte congregation, emperiopolesis, or other special activity were tumor-free survivors. Additional findings were: 1) patients having four or fewer lymph nodes positive for cancer had a survival rate of 50%, but this fell to 20% when emigrating macrophages were not present in the cancer cultures; 2) eight of the 12 patients (67%) having discoid histoculture survival time of less than one week were tumor-free, as opposed to three of eight patients (27%) where tumor survival in vitro was greater than one week. The reverse was true for nondiscoid, poorly cohesive colonies of cancer; 3) the combination of tumor-negative lymph nodes and low in vitro cancer yield was associated with the best patient survival rate, 64%. However, the combination of negative nodes and high in vitro yield was linked to the worst patient survival (20%). Although the overall study does not permit definitive conclusions, there is an undeniable potential for the use of histocultures in the evaluation of human cancers. Expanded studies are warranted, including larger numbers of tumors and cultures, and longer patient follow-up periods.

In vitro sensitivity assays in cancer: A review, analysis, and prognosis

“…It was reported that the growth characteristics of the tumor and embryonic tissues were better in the collagen-coated cellulose sponges compared to either cellulose sponges or collagen sponges alone. Sherwin and Richters (152) have termed the approach of maintaining in vivo-like tissue culture or in vivo-like tissue architecture in vitro, histoculture. Their approach was to explant 2-mm2 tissues only about 1-mm thick, which would allow for optimal diffusion, which is very important as pointed out in the original tissue culture article by Alexis Carrel ( 1 53).…”

Feasibility of Primary Tumor Culture Models and Preclinical Prediction Assays for Head and Neck Cancer: A Narrative Review

“…In an effort to preserve the 3-dimensional (3D) histological structure of the tumor, a method was developed to culture (mouse) breast tumor fragments without further dispersal [ 57 ], thereby maintaining cell heterogeneity and cell-cell interactions [ 58 ]. These models became the cornerstone of the “histoculture drug response assay” (HDRA), further developed by the group of Hoffman for gastric and colorectal cancers [ 59 , 60 ].…”

The methods of in vitro selection of chemotherapeutic druds for individual chemotherapy of maligant tumors in patinets

“…Критерием оценки цитотоксичности химиопрепаратов служит степень подавления митотической активности клеток, которая оценивается по снижению радиоактивности метки или уменьшению поглощения 3-(4,5-диметилтиазол-2-ил)-2,5-дифенилтетразолиум бромида (MTT тест, табл. 1) [20,21,47,85,86,87,88].…”