Establishment and characterization of NCC-SS6-C1: a novel patient-derived cell line of synovial sarcoma

Synovial sarcoma (SS) is identified as a sarcoma with monomorphic blue spindle cells that display variable epithelial differentiation and is characterized by the SS18::SSX fusion gene. SS accounts for approximately 5-10% of all soft tissue sarcomas, making it a relatively common type within this group of tumors. Since SS is generally sensitive to chemotherapy, the standard treatment for SS includes extensive surgical resection, complemented by neoadjuvant chemotherapy with several approved anticancer drugs. However, in advanced and metastatic cases, the efficacy of these drugs is limited, resulting in poor prognoses. This underscores the need for innovative therapeutic strategies. Patient-derived cancer cell lines are essential tools for basic and preclinical research, yet only four SS cell lines are publicly available. To facilitate the studies of SS, we have developed a novel SS cell line, named NCC-SS6-C1, derived from surgically excised tumor tissue of an SS patient. NCC-SS6-C1 cells preserve the SS18::SSX1 fusion gene, consistent with the genetic characteristics of the original tumor. The cells exhibit continuous proliferation, invasiveness, and the ability to form spheroids. Additionally, we confirmed that this cell line was useful for evaluating the efficacy of anticancer drugs. Our results suggest that NCC-SS6-C1 is a useful tool for basic and pre-clinical studies of SS.