New sarcomatoid cancer cell line SAR-HCV established from a hepatitis C virus-related liver tumour lesion

A sarcomatoid carcinoma cell line (SAR-HCV) was established from a malignant liver lesion of a patient infected with hepatitis C virus. SAR-HCV cells were successfully xenografted in SCID mice. Vimentin was strongly positive in cultured SAR-HCV cells, the primary tumour lesion and the xenografts. Hepatocyte paraffin 1 protein and certain cytokeratin markers, CK8, CK18 and AE1/AE3 were not detected in cultured cells, but were focally positive in the tumour lesion and xenografts, suggesting that this cancer cell line preserves some features of hepatocyte differentiation when grown in vivo. HLA class I, N-cadherin, vascular endothelial growth factor, CD44, and heat-shock protein 70 were moderately expressed in this cell line. Spectral karyotyping analysis revealed a nearly triploid karyotype, 34-63〈3n〉, XXY[12] with complicated genetic abnormalities of chromosomal structure in all metaphases examined. This cell line will be useful in further studying hepato-sarcomatoid carcinoma cells and in understanding carcinogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition in hepatitis C virus-related liver tumour.