In vitro growth of lymphoma colonies from children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Growth in vitro of malignant lymphoid cells has been previously reported, but those studies involved direct establishment of cell lines from the patients' cells. In the present study, an in vitro system for both primary growth and passage of malignant lymphoblastic colony-forming cells (ML-CFC) was established, and for the first time, colony-forming cells from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients were cultured, and cell lines were established from individual colonies. Malignant lymphoid colonies grew from 9 of 16 (56%) bone marrow aspirates, which were histologically involved with lymphoma and from 5 of 29 (17%) morphologically normal bone marrow samples. ML-CFCs grew concomitantly with myeloid and monocytic CFCs and were distinguishable by their morphologic characteristics on agar, cytochemical staining characteristics, and cell surface markers. Successful passage of ML-CFCs was accomplished in five patients, and ten distinct cell lines (six null cell, three B cell, and one T cell) were established. This agar assay system provides an opportunity to study malignant lymphoma cell growth both as a primary colony and a cell line established from a primary colony.