Evaluation of antineoplastic drugs in cervical cancer spheroids

Abstract

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Mexican female population. Current chemotherapeutic regimens used in clinical settings are associated with substantial toxicity and low efficacy. Therefore, it is necessary to explore new therapies and use drugs in cytotoxic and cytostatic combinations. An ideal in vitro model for the study of drugs is tumor spheroid culture. The model retains the important features and functionalities of the tumor in vivo, allowing for more efficient identification of drugs that influence cancer cells. This study aimed to evaluate four antineoplastic drugs (cisplatin, 5-fluorouracil, paclitaxel, and doxorubicin) used in the treatment of solid tumors in spheroids formed from cells of patients diagnosed with cervical cancer. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis during the interaction with antineoplastic agents were evaluated, and dose-response curves were constructed for each drug using checkerboard tests, thus evaluating the synergism between pairs of drugs. We obtained an efficacy of 71% for spheroid formation, and the best treatment was with doxorubicin, a drug that significantly reduced cell viability (p=0.001). However, the construction of dose-response curves showed variations in drug sensitivity for each patient. We can conclude that each spheroid responded differently to the treatments administered, suggesting that personalized treatment could improve the response to chemotherapy in cervical cancer patients.