Cyclophosphamide and 5-fluorouracil act synergistically in ovarian clear cell adenocarcinoma cells

Abstract Chemosensitivity of the drugs plays a crucial role in the treatment of ovarian cancer. In this study, we evaluate the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents in six ovarian cancer cell lines; four clear cell adenocarcinoma and two serous papillary adenocarcinoma, using seven single drugs and seven sets of drug combinations with tetrazolium-based semiautomated colorimetric (MTT) assay. The drug concentration which produced 50% growth inhibition (IC 50 ) of cisplatin was within clinically achievable range in five cell lines. The area under the curve (AUC) at IC 50 of cyclophosphamide was below the clinically achievable AUC in two serous papillary cell lines. Pacitaxel was more effective in clear cells than serous papillary cells. The intensification of cytotoxicity was observed in the combinations of paclitaxel and cisplatin, and cyclophsphamide and cisplatin or 5-fluorouracil irrespective of histopathological characteristics of the original tumor. Our results indicate that ovarian cancer cell lines respond to chemotherapeutic agents heterogeneously depending upon histopathological features, indicating individualized regimens may improve survival in ovarian cancer patients.