Carcinoembryonic antigen messenger RNA expression using nested reverse transcription-PCR in the peripheral blood during follow-up period of patients who underwent curative surgery for biliary-pancreatic cancer: longitudinal analyses.
OBJECTIVE
Outcome for patients with biliary-pancreatic cancer is still poor, despite curative operation. We investigated the clinical significance of molecular detection of circulating cancer cells in the blood as an early indicator of relapse during follow-up of patients who underwent a curative operation for biliary-pancreatic cancer.


METHODS
We followed 53 patients who underwent a curative operation for biliary-pancreatic cancer between 1996 and 2001. We used reverse transcription-PCR in the peripheral blood to evaluate carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) mRNA expression for molecular detection of circulating cancer cells. Follow-up examinations every 3 months after surgery included CEA mRNA expression in the blood, serum CEA, serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), and computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging.


RESULTS
Sixteen of 53 patients (30.2%) were diagnosed with a recurrence by imaging studies. The CEA mRNA detection rate in the peripheral blood of these 16 patients was 75% compared with 5.4% in the 37 patients without relapse (P < 0.001). Sensitivity of CEA mRNA, CEA, and CA19-9 serum levels was 75.0%, 50.0%, and 68.8%, respectively. Similarly, specificity was 94.6%, 64.9%, and 81.1%, respectively. CEA mRNA was expressed in the blood, even though tumor markers CEA and CA19-9 were within the normal range in patients with relapse. CEA mRNA expression in the blood, as well as the serum level of CA19-9, tended to be detected a few months earlier than detection by imaging modalities.


CONCLUSIONS
During the follow-up of patients who undergo a curative operation for biliary-pancreatic cancer, CEA mRNA expression in the peripheral blood might be a useful and early indicator of relapse.
Mataki
Yuko
Y
Department of Oncology, Kagoshima University School of Medicine, Kagoshima, Japan.
Takao
Sonshin
S
Maemura
Kousei
K
Mori
Shinichiro
S
Shinchi
Hiroyuki
H
Natsugoe
Shoji
S
Aikou
Takashi
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001650:Bile Duct Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D012313:RNA / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism*; D012008:Recurrence; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D017931:DNA Primers; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012313:RNA