title: Detection of lymph nodes micrometastases in Dukes' A and B colorectal cancer using anti-cytokeratin antibodies AE1/AE3.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To detect lymph nodes micrometastases and analyze its correlation with clinicopathological parameters in Dukes' A and B colorectal cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and fourteen patients with colorectal cancer (Dukes' A 16; Dukes' B 98) undergoing curative operation without histological lymph nodes metastases were studied between 2001 and 2003. A total of 2,481 lymph nodes were analyzed using monoclonal cytokeratin antibody AE1/AE3 (DAKO, Carpinteria, CA) for immunohistochemistry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 33 (29%) patients were positive for cancer cell by immunohistochemistry. In 31 (94%) patients of them positive nodes showed single tumor cell or small groups of tumor cells; and tumor deposits measuring 0.2 and 0.37 mm in diameter in another 2 (6%) patients. Micrometastases were mainly located in the subcapsular sinus or paracortical sinus. There was no correlation between the positive lymph nodes and gender, age, tumor site, tumor size, histological type, histological grade, invasion depth, Dukes' staging and microsatellite instability (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that immunohistochemical technique using monoclonal cytokeratin antibody AE1/AE3 may be a sensitive and reliable method for detecting lymph nodes micrometastases in Dukes' A and B colorectal cancer. The clinical significance of lymph nodes micrometastases is still not confirmed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Abdominal Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen University Cancer Center, Guangzhou 510060, Guangdong Province, China. zhouzhiw@pub.guangzhou.gd.cn
authors.forename: Zhi-Wei
authors.initials: ZW
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rieger
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ruszkiewicz
authors.forename: Guo-Qiang
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: De-Sen
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Wan
mesh_terms: D000906:Antibodies / Q000032:analysis; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D007633:Keratins / Q000276:immunology*; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000473:pathology*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D007633:Keratins