Quantification of CEA in human gastrointestinal cancers grown in in vitro long-term organotype culture.

Two malignant tumors of the human gastrointestinal tract (obtained surgically) have been cultivated in vitro in long-term organotypic tissue culture. Of these line AZ110 (maintained for 6 years) originated from a primary adenocarcinoma of the ascending colon, whereas line Z200 (grown for 14 years) originated from a hepatic metastatic nodule of a gastric adenocarcinoma. Extracts of these tumors and comparable surgical specimens were evaluated quantitatively for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) using radioimmunoassay. Both cultured lines exhibited CEA levels that were somewhat higher than comparable surgical specimens.