Development and characterization of melanoma cell lines established by fine-needle aspiration biopsy: Advances in the monitoring of patients with metastatic melanoma

The establishment of melanoma cell lines from fine-needle aspiration biopsi es (FNAB) has allowed for an enhanced understanding of the complex interact ions that occur between T cells and tumor cells. The technique of FNAB offe rs the advantage of providing a sequential analysis of the same tumor nodul es throughout treatment. The expression of melanoma antigens (MAs) was asse ssed in fresh melanoma FNAB samples and from tumor cell lines derived from these samples using several different approaches. Cytospin preparations of freshly isolated tumor cell explants were analyzed by immunocytochemistry ( ICC), while the daughter cell line was analyzed by fluorescent activated ce ll sorting (FACS) analysis, and semiquantitative and quantitative reverse t ranscriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR, qRT-PCR). As assessed by th ese methods, the level of MA expression by the original tumor cell explants correlated with the expression in established in vitro cell lines. Molecul ar analysis of the established cell lines utilizing PCR technology improved the sensitivity of detection of MA expression. Thus FNAB of melanoma is an efficient and effective method of tissue procurement, capable of generatin g, sequentially and from the same lesion, fresh tumor cells, tumor infiltra ting lymphocytes (TIL), and long-term melanoma cell lines.