In vitro assays of tumor chemosensitivity and chemoresistance

There is a need for clinically useful drug response assays to individualize chemotherapy for cancer patients. This review summarizes the various assays developed to assess the drug sensitivity and/or resistance of primary tumor cells and the clinical validation of these various technologies. Significant predictive correlations between some in vitro drug response assays and cancer patient response and survival have been demonstrated. Prospective randomized clinical trials comparing survival between patients given a drug tested in vitro and patients treated with standard chemotherapy are, however, required to demonstrate the real impact of in vitro assay-assisted treatments on patient survival.