Establishment of a human large cell lung tumor line (QU-DB) with metastatic properties in athymic mice.

A continuous human cell line was established from a patient with large cell anaplastic lung carcinoma. This cell line, designated QU-DB, has been in culture for over 36 months and grows as an adherent monolayer with a doubling time of 10-12 hours. Its morphology, ultrastructure, karyotype, ability to grow in soft agar and heterotransplantability, indicate it is a large-cell lung tumor cell line of human origin. Three cell lines were established from metastatic tumors in nude mice receiving subcutaneous injections of QU-DB cells. The morphology and growth characteristics exhibited by these cell lines were similar to the primary cell line. Karyotypic analysis of cell lines derived from the primary tumor and a metastasis to the diaphragm were similar, but cells from a liver metastasis culture showed additional karyotypic changes. This large cell lung tumor cell line may prove useful as a model system for studies of human tumor progression and metastasis.