UM-SCC-103: A unique tongue cancer cell line that recapitulates the tumorigenic stem cell population of the primary tumor

Objective: A new head and neck cancer cell line was developed from a highly aggressive HNSCC of the oral cavity diagnosed in a 26-year-old pregnant woman. Methods: Cells from the primary tumor were passaged in culture and genotyped as a unique cell line. The resultant cell line was assessed for its ability to replicate the primary tumor. Results: The primary tumor and cell line contained 19.03% and 19.62% CD44high cells, respectively. CD44high cancer stem cells from UM-SCC-103 formed tumors after flank injections in mice that reconstituted the heterogeneity of the primary tumor. CD44 staining and histology in the primary tumor and tumors grown in vivo from the cell line were similar. CD44high cells from the primary tumor resulted in lung colony formation in 2 out of 2 tail vein injections in mice, whereas CD44low cells did not. Similarly, CD44high cells from UM-SCC-103 formed lung tumors in 2 out of 4 mice, whereas CD44low cells did not. Conclusion: The similarity in marker expression and tumorigenic behavior between the primary tumor and the resulting cell line strongly suggests that the cell line resembles the primary tumor that it was derived from and provides an important new research tool for the study of head and neck carcinomas in young patients.