Determinants for the Establishment of Permanent Tissue Culture Lines From Human Gliomas

Malignant gliomas, in contrast to other human neoplasms, rather frequently establish themselves as permanent tissue culture lines. Still, the major part of malignant gliomas fail to do so. The object of the present investigation was to search for determinants of the primary explant for the future successful establishment. The material consisted of one medulloblastoma, one ependymoma, 4 oligodendrogliomas, 14 astrocytomas grade I and II and 68 astrocytomas grade III and IV. Established lines were obtained only from grade III and IV gliomas but with no difference between these two groups. A surprising finding was that male tumours more frequently became permanent lines (13/45) than female ones (1/23) and that a higher success rate was found among temporo‐parietal tumours (12/28 of the male tumours) than among those located in the frontal lobe (1/17 of the male tumours). No connection between the histologically predominant cell type of the grade III and IV gliomas and the rate of establishment was found. Studies of the primary cultures of the gliomas implied that failure to form an established line only in a minor fraction could be ascribed to failure of the tumour cells of the explant to adhere to the solid support. This was valid for all astrocytomas grade I and II, the ependymoma and some of the grade III and IV gliomas. In the majority of malignant gliomas a rapidly occurring failure to multiply was found, leading to continuous death of the tumour cells while normal glia‐like cells proliferated luxuriously and outnumbered the neoplastic component. This might depend on a deficient interaction between the tumour cell and the solid support even if lack of essential metabolites cannot be excluded.