Chemosensitivity

In medicine, the term chemosensitivity describes the sensitivity of cancer cells to growth-inhibiting drugs, the so-called cytostatics or chemotherapeutics , which are used in chemotherapy .

This term is usually used in connection with the testing of cytostatics. Accordingly, such a test is called a chemosensitivity test .

The chemosensitivity of cancer cells often determines the success of chemotherapy and depends on numerous factors: For example, cytostatics from the group of alkylants act by changing the genetic make-up of the tumor cells; the activation of DNA repair enzymes in tumors can contribute to a reduced chemosensitivity here. A reduced transport of cytostatics into the cell interior, their inactivation or the lack of expression of effect-mediating receptors can also lead to a reduction in the chemosensitivity of the tumor and thus to a lack of therapeutic success.

In addition to chemosensitivity, there is also the term chemoresistance . This term describes the property of cells to be insensitive to a chemotherapeutic agent . Both chemosensitivity and chemoresistance are summarized under the term chemosensitivity .

See also

Other terms that overlap with the topic:

• Cell viability
• Vital staining
• Cell division
• Apoptosis
• necrosis
• Cytotoxicity

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Chemotherapy: resistance and loss of effectiveness . Cancer information service of the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
2. ↑ chemosensitive - encyclopedia . Retrieved July 20, 2012.