A new cell line (NOE) of human ovarian endometrioid carcinoma was established and characterized. The cell line showed a short spindle-shaped morphology and continued to grow for more than 4 months without contact inhibition. The doubling time was approximately 15.5 h at the 10th passage. The chromosome number was aneuploid. The IC50 values of paclitaxel, cisplatin and carboplatin were 26.4 ng/mL, 2.4 microg/mL and 32.5 microg/mL, respectively. The NOE cells expressed estrogen receptor alpha. In nude mice, we confirmed tumor formation of NOE cells. These results indicated that NOE cells showed similar chemosensitivity and properties to those of the original tumor and might be useful in basic studies on the diagnosis, treatment and etiology of ovarian tumors.