J. Ochieng et al., ESTABLISHMENT OF BREAST CELL-CULTURES AND LINES FROM PEOPLES OF AFRICAN ORIGIN, American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 176(6), 1997, pp. 240-245
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of our study was to establish breast epithelia
l cell cultures and cell lines from peoples of African origin (blacks)
. It is presumed that the biology of breast cancer in women of African
origin has unique aspects that can be explored using cultured breast
epithelial cells. STUDY DESIGN: Biopsy specimens were obtained from bl
ack women undergoing radical or modified mastectomies. Normal cell cul
tures were established using tissue from reduction mammaplasties or th
e milk of lactating mothers. The tissue specimens were lacerated, dige
sted with collagenase solution, and plated on tissue culture plates. T
o extend the life of the epithelial cells in culture, they are transfo
rmed with SV40 virus. RESULTS: We have maintained breast tumor cells i
n culture from a 27-year-old black woman for more than 1 month. CONCLU
SION: Despite the difficulty of establishing epithelial cell cultures,
we have maintained breast tumor cells from blacks in culture for an e
xtended period to allow characterization.