Anticancer Drug Sensitivity in ALK-Rearrangement-Positive NSCLC Using the CODRP Index-Based Test

Cancer organoid-based drug sensitivity tests have recently been investigated to predict patient responses to anticancer drugs. The AUC or IC50 value of the dose-response curve (DRC) is typically used to differentiate between sensitive and resistant patient groups. Results of a study that sought to propose a multiparameter analysis method (CODRP) that considers cancer cell growth rate and the AUC of the DRC to predict patient responses to anticancer drugs were presented at the ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Congress 2024.

The researchers implemented PDOs recapitulating patients with lung cancer on the CODRP platform, using a mechanical dissociation method capable of high yields and proliferation rates, and a disposable nozzle-type cell spotter with efficient HTS to dispense a limited number of patient cells. A drug sensitivity test was then performed using PDOs from patient tissue, and the primary cancer characteristics of PDOs were confirmed through pathological comparison with tissue slides.

Results showed that among PDOs from eight patients with lung cancer, according to the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement status, the conventional AUC index for three ALK-targeted drugs (crizotinib, alectinib, and brigatinib) did not differentiate between sensitive and resistant groups. The proposed CODRP index-based drug sensitivity test classified ALK-targeted drug responses according to ALK rearrangement status and demonstrated consistency with the clinical drug treatment response.

The researchers concluded that “the PDO-based HTS and CODRP index drug sensitivity tests described in this study may be valuable for predicting and analyzing promising anticancer drug efficacy in lung cancer patients and can be integrated into a precision medicine platform.”

Source: Kim SJ, et al. Evaluating anticancer drug sensitivity in ALK-rearrangement-positive non-small cell lung cancer using the CODRP index-based test. Abstract 59P. Presented at the ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies Congress 2024; February 26-28, 2024; Paris, France.