In vitro sensitivity testing of minimally passaged and uncultured gliomas with TRAIL and/or chemotherapy drugs
2008

Testing Glioma Cells' Sensitivity to TRAIL and Chemotherapy

Sample size: 22 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Ashley D M, Riffkin C D, Lovric M M, Mikeska T, Dobrovic A, Maxwell J A, Friedman H S, Drummond K J, Kaye A H, Gan H K, Johns T G, Hawkins C J

Primary Institution: Children's Cancer Centre, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia

Hypothesis

How accurately do TRAIL signalling pathways of glioma cells in vivo replicate in established glioma cell lines in vitro?

Conclusion

The study suggests that most glioma patients are unlikely to benefit from TRAIL-based therapies, but some may respond to specific combinations of TRAIL and chemotherapy drugs.

Supporting Evidence

  • TRAIL sensitivity of freshly resected uncultured glioma cells has not been reported to date.
  • High concentrations of cisplatin were lethal to glioma cells, hepatocytes, and astrocytes.
  • Only one glioma was killed efficiently by soluble TRAIL.
  • Combination treatments with TRAIL and chemotherapy drugs showed some selectivity for glioma cells over normal cells.

Takeaway

This study looked at how glioma cells react to a treatment called TRAIL and some chemotherapy drugs. It found that most glioma cells are tough and don't respond well to these treatments, but a few might work better with certain combinations.

Methodology

The study tested 17 early passage glioma cell lines and 5 freshly resected gliomas with TRAIL-based agents and chemotherapy drugs to assess their sensitivity.

Limitations

The study primarily focused on in vitro testing, which may not fully replicate in vivo conditions.

Participant Demographics

The study included male and female patients aged 20 to 74 with various grades of gliomas.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1038/sj.bjc.6604459

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication