Detection of micrometastatic prostate cancer cells in lymph nodes by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction.
We have developed a highly sensitive method for detecting prostate cancer cells using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with primers specific for prostate-specific antigen gene. Forty-four lymph nodes obtained from 22 patients with prostate cancers were analyzed by RT-PCR to detect metastatic prostate cancer cells. RT-PCR could detect prostate-specific antigen mRNA in five lymph nodes with histologically and/or immunohistochemically identifiable metastases and in four lymph nodes with negative histological and immunohistochemical analyses for metastases. RT-PCR was a more sensitive method than histology and immunohistochemistry in detecting metastatic prostate cancer cells and could be applied for diagnosing micrometastases of prostate cancer to lymph nodes. This highly sensitive RT-PCR will be a relevant tool to allow a more accurate clinical assessment of lymph node metastases of prostate cancer and to understand lymphatic dissemination of prostate cancer biologically.
Deguchi
T
T
Department of Urology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Tsukasa-Machi, Japan.
Doi
T
T
Ehara
H
H
Ito
S
S
Takahashi
Y
Y
Nishino
Y
Y
Fujihiro
S
S
Kawamura
T
T
Komeda
H
H
Horie
M
M
D001483:Base Sequence; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen