Detection of lymph node micrometastasis in gastric cancer by MUC2 RT-PCR: usefulness in pT1 cases.
OBJECTIVE
The objectives of this study were to evaluate the clinical utility of MUC2-specific reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in gastric cancer patients and to compare MUC2-specific RT-PCR to carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)-specific RT-PCR.


METHODS
A total of 305 lymph nodes from 28 patients with gastric cancer were histologically examined and analyzed by MUC2 RT-PCR and CEA RT-PCR.


RESULTS
MUC2 and CEA were expressed in 17.1 and 7.0% of the 286 histologically negative lymph nodes, respectively. The detection rate of MUC2 was significantly higher than that of CEA (P < 0.01). MUC2 RT-PCR revealed no false positive results in control specimens. Lymph node micrometastases in pT1 gastric cancer were expressed only in perigastric lymph nodes near the tumor and were not detected in tumor less than 30 mm in patients with mucosal cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
MUC2-specific RT-PCR is a sensitive and specific method to detect lymph node micrometastases in gastric cancer patients. The distribution of lymph node micrometastases detected by this method may be useful in minimally invasive procedures for gastric cancer, especially pT1 cases.
Sonoda
Hiromichi
H
Department of Surgery, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
Yamamoto
Kazuo
K
Kushima
Ryoji
R
Okabe
Hidetoshi
H
Tani
Tohru
T
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055262:Mucin-2; D009077:Mucins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery
D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; D055262:Mucin-2; D009077:Mucins; D012333:RNA, Messenger