Establishment and characterisation of two new small cell lung cancer cell lines--one from a patient with previous familial retinoblastoma.

Two new small cell lung cancer (SCLC) cell lines have been established. The first, WX330, has been developed from a pleural effusion collected at presentation from a patient with extensive disease. The second, WX331, originated from a liver metastasis collected at post mortem from a patient who died of his SCLC disease. WX330 has been in culture for 4 years and WX331 for 11 months. Both cell lines have typical cytological features of SCLC, WX330 contains dense core granules on electron microscopic examination and both are tumourigenic in nude mice. Cell lines were analysed phenotypically using antibodies submitted to the Second International Workshop on SCLC Antigens by the immunoperoxidase method. WX330 is reactive with a wide range of SCLC and epithelial associated and WX331 with a more restricted group of antibodies of predominantly neuroendocrine and SCLC specificity. WX330 also reacts with an antibody against the multiple drug resistance-associated glycoprotein.