The depth pro. ling procedure was utilized to compare the chemistry of anaplastic thyroid tumour cells SW1736 with that of primary cultured pig thyrocytes. Sputtering was performed with SF5+ and C-60(+) as primary ions and Bi-3(+) was used as primary ion for the analysis. The spectra from cells prior to sputtering, representing the cell surface chemistry, showed similar distribution patterns and intensity ratios. However, the peaks representing cholesterol signal and lipoxin were significantly higher in the tumour cell samples. The spectra from sputtered samples, representing intracellular chemistry, showed a significant decrease in the number of detectable peaks, especially after sputtering with SF5+. Sputtering conditions must be further developed to make the technique useful for detailed analysis of cells. (C) 2008 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.