Quantitative Aspects of Carcinoembryonic Antigen Output by a Human Lung Carcinoma Cell Line

Abstract

The release of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) or CEA-like material by a bronchial carcinoma cell line has been studied in more than 80 in vitro passages. The CEA output remained constant in culture over this period, provided the environmental conditions remained constant. Under such conditions, the amount of CEA released was proportional to the number of tumor cells in the culture. However, when the culture conditions were changed, the cell growth rate also changed, with consequent alteration in CEA release such that the amounts were inversely proportional to the rate of growth of the cells. If the cells were exposed to toxic conditions, CEA was released immediately. The implications of the quantitative relationship of CEA to the tumor cells which produce it were examined with reference to the potential of CEA as a clinical tumor index material.