A primary human pancreatic tumor line (BxPC-3) has been established from a biopsy specimen of a histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma of the body of the pancreas. Tumorigenicity was proven by xenograft in athymic nude mice. Upon re-establishment of tumor xenografts in tissue culture, the epithelial tumor cells retained their original morphology. Histopathologically, the tumors grown in nude mice exhibited the original characteristics of the primary adenocarcinoma in the patient, producing traceable mucin and displaying moderately well to poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas with occasional lymphocytic infiltrations at the tumor peripheries. Furthermore, the tumor xenografts differentially expressed carcinoembryonic antigen, human pancreas cancer-associated antigen, and human pancreas-specific antigen. Karyotyping and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase isoenzyme characterization revealed that this tumor line was of human origin and devoid of HeLa cell contamination. The BxPC-3 tumor line has been maintained for more than four years in our laboratory and represents a valuable model for primary human pancreatic cancer.

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An immunoperoxidase technic was used to localize prostatic acid phosphatase in a variety of primary and metastatic neoplasms. The aim was to explore the histogenesis of tumors affecting the prostate gland and to demonstrate the prostatic origin of metastases in various sites. A highly specific antiserum to prostatic acid phosphatase was raised in rabbits, and the peroxidase-antiperoxidase procedure was carried out on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded routine pathology material. All specimens from the 37 cases of known primary and metastatic prostatic carcinomas stained positively for prostatic acid phosphatase, regardless of their histologic differentiation. None of the specimens from the 44 cases of proven nonprostatic primary and metastatic tumors stained positively for prostatic specific acid phosphatase. The data suggest that demonstration of prostatic acid phosphatase by the immunoperoxidase technic is a practical, sensitive, and specific test for the prostatic origin of an otherwise unclassifiable primary or metastatic neoplasm.