Karyotypic characterization of established cell lines and short-term cultures of human lung cancers

Karyotypic patterns were analyzed from the four major histopathologic groups of human lung cancer: small cell (SCC), squamous cell (SQC), large cell (LCC), and adenocarcinoma (ADC). The studies were performed on banded chromosomes from direct preparations of pleural fluids (one case of SQC and LCC, respectively) and on cell lines. All metaphases were aneuploid and showed highly rearranged chromosomes, with the exception of the direct preparation of the SQC, which was pseudodiploid. The number of marker chromosomes varied-from tumor to tumor. No consistent aberrations could be detected. Special attention was paid to chromosomes 3p-, which was earlier reported to be a characteristic marker chromosome for SCC. We could confirm the presence of that abnormality in two of our six SCC lines. However, we also found a 3p- in a primary SQC culture, in one LCC cell line, and in one ADC cell line. The breakpoint on 3p was not consistent. In some lines, numerical and structural changes of chromosomes #1, #12, #14, and #22 were also noteworthy, although none of these chromosome abnormalities seemed to be correlated to a certain histopathologic group.