Objective: To establish a long-standing cell line of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in pursuit of a model for in vitro study of carcinogenesis.
Methods: Small tissue blocks taken from resected specimens of esophageal cancer were cultured, and cell line EC9706 was established. The biologic properties of EC9706 were characterized. Comparative genomic hybridization(CGH) was performed on the cell line.
Results: The growth curve of EC9706 was detected. The cell generation time was 26 hours. The plate colony forming efficiency is 91.9%, with the capacity of forming clones in soft agar. EC9706 cells show high tumorigenecity as indicated by the rapid regeneration of moderate-poor-differentiated squamous cell carcinomas after injection into nude mice. CGH analysis indicated copy number gains of 1p1, 1q2-4, 2p1, 2q1, 5p, 7p14, 7q21, 11q1, 15q2, 20q and losses of 2p2, 2q2, 3p, 4, 9p, 14, 18, Xq. High-level gain of 5p was observed.
Conclusion: Established cell line EC9706 can serve as a useful tool for studying the carcinogenesis of ESCC.