Lunx is a superior molecular marker for detection of non-small cell lung cancer in peripheral blood [corrected].
The clinical management of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) would benefit greatly by a test that was able to detect small amounts of NSCLC in the peripheral blood. In this report, we used a novel strategy to enrich tumor cells from the peripheral blood of 24 stage I to IV NSCLC patients and determined expression levels for six cancer-associated genes (lunx, muc1, KS1/4, CEA, CK19, and PSE). Using thresholds established at three standard deviations above the mean observed in 15 normal controls, we observed that lunx (10 of 24, 42%), muc1 (5 of 24, 21%), and CK19 (5 of 24, 21%) were overexpressed in 14 of 24 (58%) peripheral blood samples obtained from NSCLC patients. Patients who overexpressed either KS1/4 (n = 2) or PSE (n = 1) also overexpressed either lunx or muc1. Of patients with presumed curable and resectable stage I to II disease (n = 7), at least one marker was overexpressed in three (43%) patients. In advanced stage III to IV patients (n = 17), at least one marker was overexpressed in 11 patients (65%). These results provide evidence that circulating tumor cells can be detected in NSCLC patients by a high throughput molecular technique. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of gene overexpression.
Mitas
Michael
M
Departments of Surgery, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. mitasm@musc.edu
Hoover
Loretta
L
Silvestri
Gerard
G
Reed
Carolyn
C
Green
Mark
M
Turrisi
Andrew T
AT
Sherman
Carol
C
Mikhitarian
Kaidi
K
Cole
David J
DJ
Block
Mark I
MI
Gillanders
William E
WE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006023:Glycoproteins; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
C485599:BPIFA1 protein, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D006023:Glycoproteins; D010750:Phosphoproteins; D011506:Proteins