Testing of medications

Each patient is individual, and each tumor unique to that patient. This is why drugs administered to one patient may have very different effects on another patient. In order to find out what type of medication has the highest chances of being effective before treatment starts, testing the medicines using maintrac^® is recommended. This analysis can serve as a basis for decision-making for both doctor and patient regarding subsequent therapeutic decisions.

For assessment of drug effectiveness, the cells released by the tumor into the bloodstream are used, just as in the cell-count measurements. The different medications are tested directly on these circulating tumor cells (CETCs / CTCs). Therefore, a daily dose of the corresponding medication is mixed with the patient’s blood within a test tube (in vitro). The blood and the CETCs / CTCs contained within it are then exposed to the drugs over varying time periods. Following this, the rate of CETC / CTC death is compared to a sample with no added medication. The results show the medication which is most suited to destroying the tumor cells in the blood.

A testing of this kind, regarding the probability of a drug being effective, is possible both prior to treatment and once the treatment has begun. Preparations from conventional as well as alternative medicine can both be tested. Ideally, substances for testing should be in liquid form, and as such suited to administration to the patient via i.v. drip.

After the in-vitro testing of medications, follow-up cell count testing with maintrac^® should be carried out in order to confirm whether the drugs used have a long-lasting effect on the circulating tumor cells in the blood. Generally, a decrease of the cell count indicates a successful therapy.

Drug testing with maintrac^® is also possible when the tumor has already been removed.