Cell Lines and Characterization

This study conducted 3D culture on circulating tumor cell (CTC)-derived cell lines from three pancreatic cancer patients. All cell lines successfully formed spheroid aggregates within 14 days. H&E staining revealed that these spheroids exhibited patient-specific morphological characteristics, consistent with clinical pancreatic cancer tissue histology. Immunophenotyping confirmed their epithelial origin as CK+/CD45-/DAPI+ tumor cells.

PDX Models and Metastatic Properties

CTC-derived PDX model experiments: After inoculating CTC cell lines from Patient 3 into NOD/SCID mice, all mice developed tumors within 3–4 weeks. These tumors not only retained the typical morphological features of pancreatic cancer but also exhibited high metastatic potential, with 100% pancreatic infiltration and extensive metastasis to the liver and peritoneum, accompanied by ascites formation.