SEPARATION OF CLONOGENIC TUMOR-CELLS FROM SMALL CELL LUNG-CANCER BONE-MARROW AND SMALL CELL LUNG-CANCER CELL-LINES

  • 1 January 1984
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 44  (11) , 5404-5408
Abstract
One of the major obstacles to successful autologous bone marrow transplantation is tumor contamination of the marrow. Tumor cells from the marrow of patients with small cell lung cancer were separated by layering bone marrow on a discontinuous albumin gradient and then assessing hematopoietic potential (CFUc) and clonogenic tumor cells (TCFUc) by standard techniques. In the 6 of 7 patients whose bone marrow grew tumor colonies, 75-80% of CFUc could be found in Fraction 3 of the gradient; while 80-90% of TCFUc could be found in light-density Fraction 1 + 2. Tumor colony growth was observed in Fraction 1 + 2 in some patients whose unfractionated bone marrow failed to grow tumor colonies. In separate experiments, 5 cell lines established in patients with small cell lung cancer were layered on the gradient; cells from 4 of the 5 lines also migrated to Fraction 1 + 2 and TCFUc from these lines were observed in Fractions 1 + 2 in 3 of 4 lines tested. Gradient fractionation may be one way of removing clonogenic tumor cells from the bone marrow of small cell lung cancer patients prior to autologous transplantation.