Spectrum of neuroendocrine differentiation in lung cancer cell lines featured by cytomorphology, markers, and their corresponding tumors

Lung cancer cell lines which show features of neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation can be divided into 4 types which have distinct clinicopathologic correlates: classic small cell lung cancer (SCLC), variant SCLC, pulmonary carcinoid, and non-small cell lung cancer with NE features (NSCLC-NE). These cell lines form a spectrum regarding their degree of NE differentiation which ranges from high levels seen in carcinoid cell lines to very low which is typical of the variant SCLC. A careful comparison of the properties of tumors and their cell lines and correlating these data with the clinical history of the patient has markedly enhanced the relevance of cell lines as models for NE biology and lung carcinogenesis.