title: Extended staging results from the detection of isolated tumor cells in the liver of colorectal cancer patients.
abstract: Liver metastasis, as well as local recurrence, are delineating factors of postoperative survival in patients suffering from colorectal cancer. We set up a PCR-RFLP assay to detect K-ras mutated cells in liver tissue as an indicator of possible isolated tumor cells (ITC) or micro-metastasis at the time of surgery. Sixty-four patients with K-ras codons 12 or 13 mutated colorectal cancer were clinically diagnosed for liver metastasis, as well as by PCR-RFLP assay of DNA from liver biopsies. Macro-metastasis was observed in the liver of 7 patients (11%), with no additional evidence of ITC. Likewise, in the liver of 14 patients (22%) only ITC, but no macro-metastasis was detected. In another 7 patients (11%) there was both, ITC and macro-metastasis. No macro-metastasis or ITC were found in 36 patients (56%). Thus, the PCR-RFLP assay added 14 cases (22%) with potential liver-metastasis to the 14 cases (22%) detected by clinical diagnostic means. T and N status were related to the refined detection and extended classification of liver involvement. We conclude that clinical and PCR-RFLP methods supplement each other and can increase the detection of cases with liver involvement, if applied together.
authors: Unit of Toxicology and Chemotherapy, German Cancer Research Centre, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: C C
authors: CC
authors: Schimanski
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Linnemann
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Arbogast
authors: M R
authors: MR
authors: Berger
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary*; D003062:Codon / Q000235:genetics; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D011905:Genes, ras; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging / Q000379:methods*; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D003062:Codon