ABOUT 20% of patients with high-grade ovarian cancer do not respond to standard chemotherapy, but predicting who will benefit has remained a challenge. A recent study introduces an advanced ex vivo 3D micro-tumour testing platform that accurately forecasts individual patient response to chemotherapy, potentially revolutionizing personalized treatment decisions.
In the study, researchers collected malignant ascites samples from 104 patients with ovarian cancer to culture enriched 3D micro-tumours. These micro-tumours were exposed to standard chemotherapy and targeted agents, then imaged using high-content screening to capture detailed morphological features. Using this data, a linear regression model was developed to predict the decay rate of CA125, a critical biomarker used to monitor ovarian cancer progression.
Results revealed a strong correlation (R = 0.77) between predicted and actual patient CA125 decay rates. Patients whose micro-tumours indicated high sensitivity to the common chemotherapy drugs carboplatin and paclitaxel showed significantly longer progression-free survival and smaller tumour size changes.
Importantly, the platform also produced personalized drug sensitivity profiles for second-line treatments, facilitating more informed choices when initial therapies fail. The entire process, from sample collection to results generation, takes less than two weeks, fitting within clinical timelines for treatment planning.
This breakthrough 3D micro-tumour testing system holds promise in stratifying responders from non-responders and guiding precision oncology approaches in ovarian cancer, pending further prospective clinical validation.
Reference
Koedoot E et al. Ex vivo 3D micro-tumour testing platform for predicting clinical response to platinum-based therapy in patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2025;9(1):306.
