Small cell lung cancer cell line derived from a primary tumor with a characteristic deletion of 3p.

Chemotherapy plus surgery is feasible and potentially effective in selected patients with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and provides a unique opportunity to study SCLC early in its biological history. The in vitro characteristics of a SCLC cell line derived from a resected lung primary tumor after treatment with 3 courses of chemotherapy is described. The original SCLC cell line UMC-SCLC-1 exhibited features of classic SCLC with typical morphology and growth characteristics, high levels of dopa decarboxylase, bombesin-like peptides, neuron-specific enolase and calcitonin, and the presence of neurosecretory granules and demonstrated the deletion of the short arm of chromosome 3. After multiple passages, UMC-SCLC-1 gradually changed its culture characteristics to a cell line, UMC-SCLC-1A, with morphological features of large cell anaplastic carcinoma, an altered growth pattern, decrease in calcitonin, and increase in radioresistance but retained the other biochemical markers of classic SCLC (bombesin and dopa decarboxylase production). Serial DNA content analyses showed that increased aneuploidy during continuous culture in vitro was associated with the morphological changes. Both UMC-SCLC-1 and UMC-SCLC-1A demonstrated the deletion of chromosome 3p, amplification and abundant expression of N-myc, and increased expression of c-raf. Chemotherapy sensitivities were stable throughout multiple passages and correlated with in vivo response. UMC-SCLC-1A represents a unique SCLC cell line with heterogeneous properties of both classic and morphological variant SCLC cell lines. In addition, the characteristic deletion of 3p, previously described in cultures derived from metastatic lesions and heavily pretreated patients, is seen in a primary lesion early in the natural history of SCLC.

Chlorpropamide-induced pure RBC aplasia.

A 70-year-old man experienced pure RBC aplasia after high-dose chlorpropamide therapy. This is the second reported case of pure RBC aplasia associated with chlorpropamide. Cessation of the drug therapy was followed by rapid and sustained complete return to a normal hemoglobin level. A brief review of pure RBC aplasia is presented.

Hyperglycemic macrocytosis in electronically determined mean corpuscular volume. Use of three different automatic cell counters.

Spurious macrocytosis in electronic cell counters has been associated with hyperglycemia. The increased mean corpuscular volume (MCV) is thought to be secondary to osmotic disequilibrium between the erythrocyte and the diluent used in the automatic cell counters. Employing three different hematology cell counters, the effects of increasing concentration of glucose (400 mg per dl to 2000 mg per dl), at different temperatures and after various incubation periods were studied. In addition to macrocytosis being temperature and glucose concentration dependent, the magnitude of cell size variation also depends on the type of instrument used.

T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia with a suppressor phenotype.

A diagnosis of prolymphocytic leukemia was made from the blood and bone marrow of a 50 year old man. The neoplastic cells were studied by use of light and electron microscopy. Neoplastic cells were focally positive for acid phosphatase and alpha naphthyl acetate esterase. In addition, neoplastic cells formed rosettes with sheep erythrocytes and reacted with Leu-1 and Leu-2a but not Leu-3a antisera. No terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) activity was noted in these cells. It is concluded that these neoplastic cells were phenotypically mature suppressor T lymphocytes. Furthermore, T and B cell prolymphocytic leukemias were compared according to clinico-pathological, cytochemical, ultrastructural, and immunological findings derived from our review of the current literature.

Adenosarcoma of uterus and ovary: a clinicopathologic study of two cases.

We report the clinical and pathologic features of two cases of adenosarcoma. Our first case occurred in the ovary of a 51-year-old woman with extensive pelvic involvement. She was treated vigorously with radiation and chemotherapy and at the present time almost 9 years later the patient is free of disease. This represents a case with one of the longest survival reported in the literature. Our second case occurred in a 37-year-old woman and was limited to the endometrium.

Functional diversity within the suppressor phenotype as defined by monoclonal antibody in T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia.

A patient with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is described. The malignant T-cells from the patient were predominantly Leu-2-positive, indicating a suppressor phenotype. The cells were then tested to determine their functional capabilities. The patient's Leu-2-positive cells initially suppressed B-cell proliferation, as predicted by their phenotype but later functioned as T helper cells in the pokeweed mitogen system without a change in phenotype. The cells also responded inadequately to alloantigen and mitogen despite addition of exogenous T-cell growth factor (TCGF). Leu-2-positive prolymphocytes from the spleen of the patient were constitutive producers of TCGF. Surface phenotype using monoclonal antibody was inadequate to predict T-cell function of the cells from this patient with T-PLL. In addition, these data suggest there may be functional subpopulations within the OKT8+ phenotype. Constitutive TCGF production by malignant post-thymic T-cells may represent a mechanism by which these cells sustain their own growth.