Abstract 2221: Chemotherapy sensitivity of tumor cells from ascites of ovarian cancer patients: Relationship with immune status and clinical response
Authors: Guido Zaman, Judith E. den Ouden, Jelle Dylus, Antoon M. van Doornmalen, Rogier C. Buijsman, Astrid Eijkelenboom, Leon F. Massuger, Anne M. van Altena
Journal: Cancer Research (2019)

Abstract Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy. Standard treatment of advanced EOC is surgery in combination with chemotherapy, consisting of a platinum-based drug (carboplatin or cisplatin) and paclitaxel. Although most women show a good response to first line treatment, tumors do not respond in 15-20% of patients, whereas in 80% of cases of advanced EOC, the disease recurs within three years. Patients who have responded to first line treatment are referred to as ‘platinum sensitive’, and are treated with a PARP inhibitor in second line. Several other new targeted inhibitors are investigated in clinical trials, including PI3-kinase and bromodomain inhibitors. There is great need of new, more effective therapies with improved long-term treatment outcome, and diagnostic assays and biomarkers to predict chemotherapy response in the clinic. We have determined whether tumor cells isolated from ascites of patients with EOC can be used to develop in vitro cell proliferation assays. We also characterized the immune status of ascites by cytokine analysis and used flow cytometry to analyze the immune cell types in ascites. In a pilot study, ascites was gathered from 18 patients with advance stage EOC. Cells were isolated by centrifugation and tumor cells were separated from immune cells by adhering them to tissue culture plates. Sensitivity of tumor cells to platinum compounds, paclitaxel, PARP inhibitors, and other second line and investigational drugs, as well as drug combinations, was determined in cell proliferation assays, using intracellular ATP content as an indirect read-out of cell number [1]. The mutant status of a number of known oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in the patient-derived cell samples was determined by DNA sequence analysis. Mutation status was related to histopathological data and in vitro drug response. We demonstrate that ascites from EOC patients contains many tumor cells and that these tumor cells can be used to perform drug sensitivity assays in vitro. In an ongoing study, in which ascites from hundred EOC patients will be included, the in vitro sensitivity to standard-of-care chemotherapy will be related to the immune status of the ascites and to the clinical outcome of the patient, which is defined by platinum sensitivity. An update of this study will be presented at the conference. [1] Uitdehaag et al. (2014) PLoS ONE 9(3): e92146 Citation Format: Guido Zaman, Judith E. den Ouden, Jelle Dylus, Antoon M. van Doornmalen, Rogier C. Buijsman, Astrid Eijkelenboom, Leon F. Massuger, Anne M. van Altena. Chemotherapy sensitivity of tumor cells from ascites of ovarian cancer patients: Relationship with immune status and clinical response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2019; 2019 Mar 29-Apr 3; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2019;79(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2221.