Short term culture of breast cancer tissues to study the activity of the anticancer drug taxol in an intact tumor environment.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Sensitivity of breast tumors to anticancer drugs depends upon dynamic interactions between epithelial tumor cells and their microenvironment including stromal cells and extracellular matrix. To study drug-sensitivity within different compartments of an individual tumor ex vivo, culture models directly established from fresh tumor tissues are absolutely essential.

Methods

We prepared 0.2 mm thick tissue slices from freshly excised tumor samples and cultivated them individually in the presence or absence of taxol for 4 days. To visualize viability, cell death, and expression of surface molecules in different compartments of non-fixed primary breast cancer tissues we established a method based on confocal imaging using mitochondria- and DNA-selective dyes and fluores

SUBMITTER: van der Kuip H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1456977 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature