title: [Clinical significance of the expression of MUC4 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of pancreatic cancer patients].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the expression and clinical significance of MUC4 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of pancreatic cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The expression of MUC4 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of pancreatic cancer patients were detected with reverse transcription realtime PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Expression of MUC4 mRNA was not detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of chronic pancreatitis patients and normal healthy people, but was observed in those of pancreatic cancer patients. The positive expression rate of MUC4 mRNA in pancreatic cancer patients was 60%, which was significantly higher than those of chronic pancreatitis patients and normal healthy people (P < 0.01). The positive expression rate of MUC4 mRNA increased with the development of clinical stage, and the positive expression rate in stage of II - IV (TNM system) was 76.92%, which was significantly higher than that of I - II stage (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expression of MUC4 mRNA is highly correlated with the clinical stage in pancreatic cancer patients. Detecting the expression of MUC4 mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of pancreatic cancer patients may be helpful for the early diagnosis and differential diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China. lxh007xp@tom.com
authors.forename: Xiao-hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jiong-xin
authors.initials: JX
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Chun-you
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D009077:Mucins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009077:Mucins; D012333:RNA, Messenger