CHEMOTHERAPY SENSITIVITY ASSAYS NOT READY FOR CLINIC

August 4, 2011 — Maintaining the stance it took in 2004, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) continues to recommend against the use of chemotherapy sensitivity and resistance assays (CSRAs) to select chemotherapeutic agents for individual patients, except in the setting of a clinical trial.
After an extensive review of the data published between December 1, 2003 and May 31, 2010 on MEDLINE and in the Cochrane Library, ASCO's Update Working Group reports that it was unable to identify any CSRAs with enough evidence to support their use in oncology practice; as a result, no changes to the 2004 recommendations are warranted.
"Oncologists should make chemotherapy treatment recommendations based on published reports of clinical trials and a patient's health status and treatment preferences," the update committee states.
The updated ASCO technology assessment guidelines on CSRAs were published online July 25 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
New Evidence, But No Change
The update reflects new evidence but no change in the recommendations from the original 2004 guideline.
The following assays were included in the review:

• ATP (adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence), which is used in patients with recurrent ovarian cancer and metastatic melanoma
• MTT (methyl-thiazolyl-diphenyltetrazolium bromide), which is used in patients with gastric cancer
• EDRA (extreme drug-resistance assay), which is used in patients with ovarian cancer
• ChemoFX, which is used in patients with ovarian cancer and small breast lesions.

As it did in 2004, the update committee recommends that participation in clinical trials evaluating these technologies remain a priority because of the potential importance of such in vitro analytic strategies.
The members of the Update Working Group have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
J Clin Oncol. Published online July 25, 2011. Abstract