title: No evidence of tumour cells in blood of patients with glioma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although clinically apparent systemic metastases of gliomas are very rare, reports of gliomas developing in recipient's transplanted organs have suggested that haematogenous spread might be more common.
  
  
  METHODS
  This report describes a newly developed, sensitive real time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of mRNA encoding glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Blood from 10 patients with astrocytoma and 10 patients with glioblastoma was analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No GFAP mRNA was detected.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that even subclinical metastases are very rare and are probably restricted to distinct subsets of glioma.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital, Domagkstr. 19, 48149 Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Böhm
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wassmann
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paulus
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D005910:Glioma / Q000097:blood / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger