Cancer chemotherapy is currently given to patients with breast carcinoma on the basis of data from response rates in patients with advanced disease, or from the results of clinical trials of adjuvant therapy. However, individual tumours may vary in their response to particular cytotoxic drugs: optimal therapy for a population of patients may not be the correct treatment choice in individual cases. In this study we have used an ATP-based non-clonogenic chemosensitivity assay (TCA-100) to investigate the heterogeneity of chemosensitivity of human breast carcinoma to a number of cytotoxic drugs, both as single agents and in combination. Tissue was obtained from 33 patients. Most samples were excision biopsies, but sufficient tumour cells were obtained from three needle biopsies and three pleural effusions for assays to be performed. The results show wide variation in the response of individual breast tumours to single agents, but most tumours show sensitivity to the commonly used combination regimens. The TCA-100 assay may provide useful information to support the choice of regimen for breast cancer chemotherapy.

A microbioluminometry assay (MBA) was developed for the quantitative analysis of erythromycin activity in human plasma or serum. The MBA method is adapted from turbidimetric methods and utilizes an enzyme‐catalyzed bioluminescence reaction to quantitate the growth of Staphylococcus aureus in liquid culture medium. Statistical analysis of data obtained in method validation studies and in more than 500 assays of standard curve and control samples demonstrates consistent reproducibility and accuracy within theoretical limits. The MBA was shown to be more sensitive than agar diffusion assays with a lower limit of sensitivity less than 20.0 ng/mL and coefficients of variation less than 10%. Cumulative results of 178 assays of spiked control plasma samples in the range of 0.14–2.18 μg/mL show 11.2% of individual determinations are>±15% the expected value, and 5.6% of individual determinations are>±20% the expected value Bioavailability profiles obtained with MBA are consistent with reported data for erythromycin. Values for 206 subject samples analyzed by MBA and agar diffusion assays showed a high degree of correlation (r = 0.9525) between the two methods. The MBA technique provided high sample throughput because of the use of microtiter plate technologies; it is also economical since it requires less sample and reagents.

Annals of the New York Academy of SciencesVolume 243, Issue 1 p. 194-208 POTENTIATION OF ANTINEOPLASTIC COMPOUNDS BY ORAL DIMETHYL SULFOXIDE IN TUMOR-BEARING RATS* Joel Warren, Joel Warren The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorMiriam R. Sacksteder, Miriam R. Sacksteder The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorHarriet Jarosz, Harriet Jarosz The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorBruce Wasserman, Bruce Wasserman The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorPeter E. Andreotti, Peter E. Andreotti The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this author Joel Warren, Joel Warren The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorMiriam R. Sacksteder, Miriam R. Sacksteder The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorHarriet Jarosz, Harriet Jarosz The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorBruce Wasserman, Bruce Wasserman The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this authorPeter E. Andreotti, Peter E. Andreotti The Leo Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research Nova University Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33314Search for more papers by this author First published: January 1975 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-6632.1975.tb25358.xCitations: 11 * This work was supported in part by contracts PH43-65-95 and NO1-CP-23261 with the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Citing Literature Volume243, Issue1Biological Actions of Dimethyl SulfoxideJanuary 1975Pages 194-208 RelatedInformation