Establishment and characterization of a human non-small cell lung cancer cell line

Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer death worldwide. Although many efforts have been made to explore the mechanisms involved in the development of lung cancer, the genetic events involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer are still unclear. For a better mechanistic scope of study, a well-established cellular model is essential. We report the establishment of a squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell line of human lung, SCC-37. Chromosomal abnormalities and global genomic alterations of SCC-37 were studied by spectral karyotyping (SKY) and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), respectively. Results showed that SCC-37 was a hypodiploid with complex chromosomal rearrangements. Some of the alterations, such as the gain of 1q25-qter in SCC-37, have been correlated to the tumor recurrence of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Other interesting findings include the amplification of 3q25-qter and 12q13, suggesting the existence of important oncogenes in the amplicons. This cell line may thus provide a useful cellular resource for studying the pathogenesis of SCC of the lung in the future.