title: Detection of melanoma cells in peripheral blood stem cell harvests of patients with progressive metastatic malignant melanoma.
abstract: The detection of melanocyte-specific messenger RNA in patients with malignant melanoma suggests the potential contamination of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) harvests by neoplastic cells. In this study, the melanocyte-specific transcripts of tyrosinase and Melan-A/MART-1 were used to detect neoplastic cells in PBSC harvests of nine metastatic malignant melanoma patients. Only one patient's PBSC harvest tested positive for tyrosinase. All harvests were negative for Melan-A/MART-1. Our results suggest that contamination of PBSC harvests with neoplastic cells may not contribute to disease progression following high-dose chemotherapy in advanced malignant melanoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology and Oncology, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Probst-Kepper
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schrader
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Grosse
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Volkenandt
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Illiger
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Metzner
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kadar
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duensing
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Hertenstein
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ganser
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Atzpodien
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor