Detection of hematogenous micrometastasis in patients with prostate cancer.
The goal of this study was to determine if patients with stage D0-3 prostatic adenocarcinoma have detectable hematogenous micrometastasis. Polymerase chain reaction amplification of prostate-specific antigen mRNA, which is exclusively expressed by prostatic epithelial cells, was used to detect circulating prostatic cells. Peripheral venous blood was obtained from 17 control and 12 prostate cancer patients with stage D0-3 prostatic adenocarcinoma. Of the 12 cancer cases, four patients (stage D1-3) tested positive for prostate-specific antigen RNA, indicating the presence of circulating micrometastasis. The 17 negative controls all tested negative. Contrary to a long held hypothesis, these data point to the possibility that hematogenous metastasis may be a relatively early event in the natural history of human prostate cancer. These findings may have an important impact on our understanding and treatment of prostate cancer.
Moreno
J G
JG
Department of Urology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107.
Croce
C M
CM
Fischer
R
R
Monne
M
M
Vihko
P
P
Mulholland
S G
SG
Gomella
L G
LG
D001483:Base Sequence; D002452:Cell Count; D002470:Cell Survival; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*
D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen