Establishment and characterization of 20 human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines in a serum-free defined medium (ACL-4)

Our plain-English summary of Establishment and characterization of 20 human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines in a serum-free defined medium (ACL-4), by N. Masuda, M. Fukuoka, M. Takada, et al (Chest, 1991).

The study

• Authors: N. Masuda, M. Fukuoka, M. Takada, S. Kudoh, Y. Kusunoki
• Journal: Chest
• Published: 1991;100(2):429-38
• Cited by: 49 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

To facilitate the studies in cell biology and drug sensitivity of non-small cell lung cancer, cell samples from 55 patients have been used to establish cell lines in culture using a chemically defined medium (ACL-4). A total of 20 cell lines (36 percent) were directly established and characterized: 14 (44 percent) from pleural effusions, five (29 percent) from resected primary tumors, and one (25 percent) from ascitic fluids. They comprised 16 adenocarcinoma, two large cell carcinoma, one squamous cell carcinoma, and one malignant mesothelioma. Each cell line had distinct gross morphologic features and population doubling times from 21 to 75 h. The plating efficiency was 0.01 to 9.51 percent. The modal chromosome number varied from 45 to 108. Secretion of tumor markers (carcinoembryonic antigen, sialyl Lewis Xi, CA 50, CA 125, and CA 19-9) into the medium was also different in each cell line. Most of the cell lines have been xenografted into nude mice and found to be tumorigenic. Survival of 20 patients whose tumor cell specimens continually grew in culture at any time during their clinical course was significantly shorter than that of 35 patients with no in vitro tumour growth (median survival time of 28 weeks vs 53 weeks, p = 0.0093). Our study indicates that in vitro tumor cell growth appears to be an adverse prognostic factor in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

In plain English

This laboratory study in Japan tried to grow cell lines from tumor samples from 55 patients, collected May 1987 to July 1989: 47 adenocarcinoma, six large cell carcinoma, one squamous cell carcinoma and one malignant mesothelioma. Samples were grown in a serum-free medium called ACL-4. The article does not discuss asbestos. Twenty samples (36 percent) produced established cell lines: 16 adenocarcinoma, two large cell carcinoma, one squamous cell carcinoma and one malignant mesothelioma. Pleural effusions gave the best success rate (44 percent). The cell lines differed in appearance, doubling time (21.0 to 75.0 hours), chromosomes and the tumor markers they released. Most formed tumors when transplanted into nude mice. The 20 patients whose cells grew in culture had a median survival of 28 weeks, versus 53 weeks for the 35 whose cells did not (p=0.0093). In a multivariate analysis, absence of growth in culture was the strongest factor linked to longer survival. The authors noted the two groups differed in sex, stage and treatment. They concluded that growth in culture appears to be an adverse prognostic factor.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory study establishing and characterizing tumor cell lines, with a comparison of survival between patients whose tumor cells grew in culture and those whose cells did not
• Who was studied: Tumor samples from 55 patients at Osaka Prefectural Habikino Hospital, Japan, collected May 1987 to July 1989. By tumor type: 47 adenocarcinoma, 6 large cell carcinoma and 1 squamous cell carcinoma (all non-small cell lung cancer), plus 1 malignant mesothelioma. By sample type: 32 pleural effusions, 17 surgically resected tumors, 4 ascitic fluids and 2 lymph node biopsies.
• Main results:
  • Cell lines were established from 20 of 55 specimens (36 percent). The success rate was highest for pleural effusions (44 percent), lower for primary tumors (29 percent) and ascitic fluids (25 percent), and none of the lymph node biopsies produced a line.
  • The 20 established lines comprised 16 adenocarcinoma, two large cell carcinoma, one squamous cell carcinoma and one malignant mesothelioma.
  • Population doubling times of the cell lines ranged from 21.0 to 75.0 hours.
  • Most cell lines formed tumors in nude mice. The tumors grew locally, and no metastases were seen.
  • Median survival was 28 weeks for the 20 patients whose cells grew in culture (growers) and 53 weeks for the 35 patients whose cells did not grow (nongrowers), p=0.0093.
  • Among patients whose samples were cultured at diagnosis, median survival was 42 weeks for growers and 92 weeks for nongrowers (p = 0.0390).
  • Among the 38 patients whose samples came from metastatic sites, including pleural effusions, median survival was 15 weeks for growers and 31 weeks for nongrowers (p = 0.0342).
  • In the multivariate (Cox proportional hazards) analysis, no in vitro cell growth was the most important factor indicating longer survival (p value 0.0208 for the cell line factor).
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that growth of tumor cells in culture appears to be an adverse prognostic factor in patients with non-small cell lung cancer. They said this supports the hypothesis that cell lines are most readily established from patients with more biologically aggressive disease.
• Limitations the authors state:
  • The growers and nongrowers were not balanced for sex, stage and treatment.

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Pleural Effusion, Adenocarcinoma, Carcinoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Malignant Mesothelioma, Tumor Marker, Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA).

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