title: Improved method for the detection of cytokeratin 19-positive cells in the peripheral blood of breast cancer patients.
abstract: To determine the correlation of the levels of circulating tumor cells (CTC) in breast cancer patients with clinical parameters like disease-free survival and response to therapy, we employed a previously reported quantitative real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (QRT-PCR) assay for cytokeratin-19 (Ck19; Ann Oncol 2001; 12: 39-46). Our preliminary results based on this assay (Protocol A) prompted us to optimize the experimental conditions. Here we report an improved assay (Protocol B), which more sensitively and specifically detects CTC in breast cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Ayesha B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Alvero
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Burtness
authors.forename: Adife Gulhan
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Ercan
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sapi
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007633:Keratins / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017931:DNA Primers; D007633:Keratins