In Vitro Sensitivity of Cancer Cells to Antitumor Agents

To the Editor: I admire the careful work presented in the recent article by Salmon and his co-workers,¹ and I agree with the opinion expressed in the accompanying editorial² that this article may have a profound effect on the treatment of cancer. The general statement of the authors, however, that the bioassay presented can identify drugs to which a patient's tumor is resistant, and thus can eliminate the need for empirical trials, is premature and dangerous. It may be correct for alkylating agents, and for adriamycin and bleomycin. Their data pertain to these drugs. The authors include methotrexate in their. No extract is available for articles shorter than 400 words.