Morphological, biological, biochemical, and karyotypic characteristics of human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma Capan-2 in tissue culture and the nude mouse.

Human pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma Capan-2, derived from a 56-yr-old male Caucasian, has been studied in both tissue culture and the nude mouse. In tissue culture, tumor cells showed epithelial-like features, whereas in the nude mouse, the tumor grew as a well-differentiated adenocarcinoma, resembling histopathologically the original neoplasm. Ultrastructurally, the neoplastic cells showed characteristics of ductal epithelium. The allozyme phenotypic profile of Tumor Capan-2 was determined in eight genetically determined loci, and chromosome studies showed a hypotetraploid pattern with a number of morphological and numerical changes. Carcinoembryonic antigen was produced in trace amounts, and lactate dehydrogenase was represented only by Isoenzyme 5, regardless of environmental conditions. The characteristics of Capan-2 tumor make it a valuable addition to the small number of available pancreatic tumor lines in studies aiming at clarifying certain aspects of the biology of this type of malignancy.