Estimation of differential in vitro sensitivity of non-hodgkin lymphomas to anticancer drugs

The sensitivity to adriamycin, prednisolone, bleomycin and vincristine of human lymphoma cells in short-term culture was studied in 30 non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). As indicators of drug action, the interference on [³H]thymidine and [³H]uridine incorporation was studied. The in vitro sensitivity to the drugs was then compared with the clinical response to treatment. On the basis of the retrospective analysis the in vitro sensitivity indexes were defined taking into account the biologic aggressivity of the tumor. A statistically significant correlation between the in vitro sensitivity to adriamycin and prednisolone and complete remission, relapse-free time and survival was observed in highly proliferative NHL, while in low proliferative NHL the in vitro sensitivity was statistically associated only to relapse-free survival within 22 months.