Detection of cancer cells in peripheral blood of stomach cancer patients using RT-PCR amplification of tumour-specific mRNAs.
BACKGROUND
RT-PCR amplification of tumour-specific mRNA has been used for the detection of cancer cells in peripheral blood.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the characteristics of the tumour specific mRNA species in peripheral blood of stomach cancer patients.


METHODS
We analysed CEA, GalNAc-T, MUC-1, c-MET and hTERT mRNA expression in the stomach cancer cell lines and tissues, lymph nodes and peripheral blood of stomach cancer patients using RT-PCR.


RESULTS
In RT-PCR analysis of the peripheral blood, 4%, 8%, 21%, 46%, and 100% of stomach cancer patients were positive for CEA, GalNAc-T, c-MET, hTERT and MUC-1 mRNA, respectively, but MUC-1 mRNA was also positive in all normal blood samples. The detection of hTERT mRNA was correlated with poor differentiation (P = 0.01) and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.009). The presence of c-MET mRNA was correlated with T stage (P = 0.025), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.036), distant metastasis (P = 0.031), and stage of the stomach cancer (P = 0.023).


CONCLUSIONS
Our study suggest that hTERT mRNA in peripheral blood can be a molecular marker for gastric cancer. We also showed that each molecular marker can be correlated with the clinicopathological features of the patients.
Shin
J-H
JH
National Cancer Center, Koyang, Kyunggi, Korea.
Chung
J
J
Kim
H-O
HO
Kim
Y-H
YH
Hur
Y-M
YM
Rhim
J-H
JH
Chung
H-K
HK
Park
S-C
SC
Park
J-G
JG
Yang
H-K
HK
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D019098:Telomerase / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D019098:Telomerase