Objective:To investigate the different chemosensitivity of lymph node metastases compared to the primary tumor in gastrointestinal cancers.
Methods:In vitro MTT colorimetric assay was performed on surgical specimens of primary tumors(PTs) and lymph node metastases(LNMs) form 40 gastrointestinal cancer patients. The Results: were then compared with response to 9 antitumor drugs.
Results:There was significantly different chemosensitivity to antitumor drugs between PTs and LNMs. The inhibition rates of tumor cells in LNMs for HCPT, L-OHP and CDDP were lower than those in PTs (all P<0.05); whereas the inhibition rate of tumor cell in LNMs for eADM, VP-16,and THP were higher than those in PTs (all P<0.05); howevre the chemosensitivity for 5-FU and PTX was equivalent in the two groups(all P>0.05). There was a significantly positive correlation between the inhibition rates of PTs and LNMs for 5-FU, HCPT, L-OHP and THP(r=0.4142~0.5712, all P<0.05).
Conclusions:Heterogeneity of chemosensitivity to antitumor drugs is present in LNMs and PTs of gastric and colorectal cancers. The chemosensitivity of primary gastrointestinal cancer in the histoculture drugs does not give a good indication of the chemosensitivity of metastatic lesions.