Morphologic, biologic and biochemical characteristics of three human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas established as xenotransplants in the nude mouse.

Three new human pancreatic adenocarcinomas of ductal origin, covering the spectrum of well differentiated to poorly differentiated neoplasms, have been established as xenotransplants in the nude mouse. Histopathological and ultrastructural features confirmed the neoplasms' ductal origin and were consistently reproduced through serial transplant generations. Carcinoembryonic antigen was only elaborated by the well differentiated neoplasms and production of lactate dehydrogenase isoenzymes was characteristic of each tumor. The morphological and biological features of these tumors make them a valuable addition to the very small number of available pancreatic tumor lines in studies aiming at clarifying many aspects of the biology of this type of neoplasia.