Detection of bone marrow micrometastasis.
The detection of metastasizing single tumor cells has so far been difficult. Using a monoclonal antibody (MAb A45-B/B3) recognizing human cytokeratin, we identified immunocytochemically single tumor cells and micrometastases in patients (n = 24) with nonsmall cell lung cancer at the time of surgery of the primary tumor. The cytokeratin-positive cells (1-14/5 x 10(5) cells) in the bone marrow samples of 9 (9/24) patients were found. We also found a garland-like cluster, which consists of seven cancer cells and two closely connected tumor cells from one bone marrow sample. These results indicate that this technique can be used as a early diagnostic technique of bone marrow micrometastasis in the patient with the nonsmall cell lung cancer.
Chen
Y H
YH
Laboratory of Immunology, Research Centre of Medical Science, Tsinghua University, China. chenyh@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn
Gao
W
W
Zhou
T
T
Zhao
W
W
Zhao
H
H
Liu
D
D
Felber
E
E
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000556:secondary; D000939:Epitopes; D006801:Humans; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000276:immunology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007633:Keratins / Q000276:immunology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms; D051379:Mice
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D007633:Keratins