Establishment and characteristics of a human pancreatic cancer cell line (HCG-25).

A floating cell line (HCG-25) was established from the metastatic ascitic fluid of a human pancreatic adenocarcinoma of ductal cell origin. The cell line was characterized by the growth in suspension with a doubling time of 15.6 hr, a high cloning efficiency in soft agar and a modal chromosome number of 72. Electron microscopic examination revealed terminal bars in a small number of cells. Production of mucin and immunoglobulins and phagocytosis were not demonstrated. Heterotransplantation of the cells produced tumors, being undifferentiated carcinoma histologically. These characteristics mentioned above confirm that HGC-25 cell line is a human pancreatic cancer cell line.