title: Detection of beta-human chorionic gonadotropin expressing cells by nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in the peripheral blood stem cells of patients with advanced germ cell tumor.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We investigated whether peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs) were contaminated by tumor cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 13 patients with advanced testicular cancer underwent PBSC transplantation at our institute. Nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction using primers specific for beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG) or alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) detected 1 beta-HCG or AFP producing cell in 1 x 10(6) PBSCs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although AFP messenger (m) RNA was not identified in any of the 13 patients, beta-HCG mRNA was detected in 7. All patients with beta-HCG mRNA in PBSCs had elevated serum beta-HCG before treatment. Three patients with a normal beta-HCG range before treatment did not have beta-HCG mRNA in the PBSCs. The serum beta-HCG level in the patients whose PBSCs were contaminated with tumor cells was significantly higher than in patients whose PBSCs contained no tumor cells. Four of the 7 patients with beta-HCG mRNA in PBSCs eventually died of cancer, whereas those whose PBSCs were not contaminated with tumor cells survived without disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients with elevated serum beta-HCG levels are likely to have PBSCs contaminated by tumor cells. Moreover, the prognosis of patients with tumor cells in the PBSCs is poor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Kobe University School of Medicine, Kobe, Japan.
authors.forename: Isao
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamada
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miyake
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Akinobu
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gotoh
authors.forename: Masato
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujisawa
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: Soichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Arakawa
authors.forename: Sadao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kamidono
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001781:Blood Component Removal; D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human / Q000097:blood*; D017931:DNA Primers; D018237:Germinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013736:Testicular Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D018997:Chorionic Gonadotropin, beta Subunit, Human; D017931:DNA Primers