title: Detection of lymph node micrometastasis in gastric cancer by MUC2 RT-PCR: usefulness in pT1 cases.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Shiga University of Medical Science, Seta, Otsu, Shiga, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiromichi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sonoda
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kushima
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okabe
authors.forename: Tohru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tani
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; C524625:MUC2 protein, human; D055262:Mucin-2; D009077:Mucins; D012333:RNA, Messenger