Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). I. Types of cultures derived from tumour biopsies and non‐tumorous tissues of chinese patients with special reference to lymphoblastoid transformation

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Abstract
Biopsy specimens of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from Chinese patients were sent from Hong Kong to Lyons and cultured in vitro. Four different types of culture were obtained: 1) epithelial growth of short duration (4 to 12 weeks) and limited extent around the explants; 2) early lymphocytic production (ELP) which lasted for 1 to 3 weeks; 3) fibroblastic cultures (either as primary or secondary to the epithelial growth); 4) “lymphoblastoid transformation” which occurred in 28% of the cultures and resulted in the establishment of long‐term free‐floating cell‐lines. A few of these lines were intermittently dependent on the presence of fibroblasts during crises, while most of them were entirely independent.Biopsy specimens from head and neck tumours other than NPC, from hypertrophied and inflamed tonsils removed from children, and from apparently tumour‐free nasopharyngeal mucosa gave rise to a similar spectrum of cultures, including the establishment of long‐term lymphoblastoid cultures.The various lines thus obtained exhibited the presence of a herpes‐type virus (HTV). It is proposed that the establishment of permanent lymphoblastoid lines is caused by the presence, in the original material, of an HTV having “transforming” properties. The significance of these results and the nature of the serological association between NPC and HTV are discussed.