feasibility assessment of in vitro chemoresponse assay on stereotactic biopsies of glioblastoma multiforms: a step towards personalized medicine

objective(s):p in vitro chemosensitivity and resistance assays (csras) are a promising tool for personalized treatment of glioblastoma multiform (gbm). these assays require a minimum of 1 to 2 g of tumor specimen for testing, but this amount is not always accessible. we aimed to assess the feasibility and validity of utilizing stereotactic biopsies of gbm in csras. materials and methods: single cell suspension was prepared from 1 g weight explants of the established xenograft tumor of gbm. also, primary culture was carried out on 35 mg weight specimens, as a surrogate for stereotactic biopsies. then, chemoresponse profile of cells obtained by direct cell disaggregation and primary culture was determined using temozolomide and carmustine by clonogenic assay[aga1] . results: there was no statistically significant difference in the cytotoxicity of temozolomide and carmustine between cells obtained from both methods. conclusion: this work supports the feasibility of using stereotactic biopsies of gbm in csras.