title: [Clinical significance of CEA mRNA detection in pleural and peritoneal effusions by real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect CEA mRNA levels in benign and malignant pleural and peritoneal effusions and evaluate their clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Samples of pleural and peritoneal effusions from 58 patients with malignant diseases and 76 patients with benign diseases were collected and total RNAs were prepared and subjected to real-time fluorescent quantitative RT-PCR to determine the CEA mRNA levels in these samples. The positive rate of this examination was compared with that of shed cell pathological examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nineteen samples (32.8%) of pleural and peritoneal effusions from the 58 patients with malignant diseases showed positive results in shed cell examination, while the number of CEA mRNA >1 CN was 46 (79.3%) (chi(2) = 21.81, P = 0.000). Nineteen samples of pleural and peritoneal effusions from the 76 patients with benign diseases showed CEA mRNA > 1 CN (25.0%), which was significantly different from that of the patients with malignant diseases (chi(2) = 38.85, P = 0.000).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CEA mRNA levels in pleural and peritoneal effusions can be quantified by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR, which is more sensitive than shed cell pathological examination. This technique is helpful in discrimination of benign and malignant pleural and peritoneal effusions.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Institute, Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical School, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310009, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.forename: Shu
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.forename: Xu-fen
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D001202:Ascitic Fluid / Q000737:chemistry*; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005453:Fluorescence; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010996:Pleural Effusion / Q000737:chemistry*; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000737:chemistry*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D012333:RNA, Messenger