title: Limitations of the nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction on tyrosinase for the detection of malignant melanoma micrometastases in lymph nodes.
abstract: The specificity and sensitivity of the nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) on tyrosinase was studied, for the detection of micrometastases of malignant melanoma. The specificity was assessed in the blood of six healthy donors, four patients with non-melanoma cancers of which one patient was treated with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor. Lymph nodes of nine patients without malignant melanoma were tested and four cell lines of various other tumours. Six of the nine non-melanoma lymph nodes were positive in this assay. The sensitivity was tested in a spike experiment in vitro, using a melanoma cell line. The detection limit was ten melanoma cells per 10(7) peripheral blood lymphocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calogero
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Timmer-Bosscha
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schraffordt Koops
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Tiebosch
authors.forename: N H
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Hospers
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008545:Melanoma / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011786:Quality Control; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D014442:Monophenol Monooxygenase