Predictive Value of Ex Vivo Chemosensitivity Assays for Individualized Cancer Chemotherapy: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Current treatment strategies for chemotherapy of cancer patients were developed to benefit groups of patients with similar clinical characteristics. In practice, response is very heterogeneous between individual patients within these groups. Precision medicine can be viewed as the development toward a more fine-grained treatment stratification than what is currently in use. Cell-based drug sensitivity testing is one of several options for individualized cancer treatment available today, although it has not yet reached widespread clinical use. We present an up-to-date literature meta-analysis on the predictive value of ex vivo chemosensitivity assays for individualized cancer chemotherapy and discuss their current clinical value and possible future developments.