The melanoma antigen gene as a surveillance marker for the detection of circulating tumor cells in patients with breast carcinoma.
BACKGROUND
Circulating occult tumors cells could be used for the surveillance of metastases after primary breast carcinoma therapy, but their detection is limited by the lack of specific molecular markers. Melanoma antigen genes (MAGEs), which are expressed in malignant tissues but not in normal tissues (except for placenta and testis), might provide such a marker. To date, however, the use of MAGEs in the detection of occult tumor cells using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been limited because of the heterogeneity and low expression of individual MAGEs in tumor tissues.


METHODS
We developed multiple MAGE-recognizing primers (MMRPs) that were capable of binding to the cyclic DNA of 6 MAGE-A gene subtypes (MAGE-A1-MAGE-A6). We assessed the ability of the MMRPs to detect the expression of MAGE-A gene subtypes in peripheral blood obtained from patients with benign or malignant breast disease.


RESULTS
MAGE-A gene expression was not detected in 32 patients with benign disease but was detected in 1 of 31 patients (3%) patients with negative lymph node breast carcinoma, in 10 of 52 patients (19%) with 1-3 positive lymph nodes, in 11 of 53 patients (21%) with > or = 4 positive lymph nodes, and in 20 of 52 patients (39%) with metastatic disease. The results were statistically significant (P < 0.0001; chi-square test for linear-by-linear association). The results also showed that the detection of MAGE-A gene expression in the blood predicted tumor progression or recurrence.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggested that MAGE-A gene expression may be used for the surveillance of circulating breast carcinoma cells after primary therapy by RT-nested PCR using MMRPs.
Kwon
Soim
S
Research Institute and Hospital, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Gyeonggi, South Korea.
Kang
Seok Hyung
SH
Ro
Jungsil
J
Jeon
Chang-Ho
CH
Park
Jong-Wook
JW
Lee
Eun Sook
ES
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D058950:Melanoma-Specific Antigens; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000378:metabolism*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D058950:Melanoma-Specific Antigens; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins