Combination of multiple mRNA markers (PTTG1, Survivin, UbcH10 and TK1) in the diagnosis of Taiwanese patients with breast cancer by membrane array.
OBJECTIVE
Early detection is a prerequisite to the effective reduction of morbidity and mortality from breast cancer. The present study intended to employ a high-throughput membrane array to detect a panel of mRNA markers expressed by circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood of female patients with breast cancer.


METHODS
Peripheral blood was sampled from 92 breast cancer patients and 100 normal persons. CTCs were detected by using a membrane array technique. The markers used included the pituitary tumor transforming gene 1, survivin, UbcH10 and thymidine kinase 1.


RESULTS
The results showed that the membrane array could positively detect 5 cancer cells per 1 ml of peripheral blood in breast cancer cell dilution experiments. For the panel of 4 mRNA markers, sensitivity and specificity were elevated up to 86 and 88%, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that the patients' clinicopathological characteristics tumor size (p = 0.006), histologic grade (p = 0.012), lymph node metastasis (p = 0.001) and TNM stage (p = 0.006) significantly correlated with the positive detection rate of the multimarker panel.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings demonstrated that our multimarker membrane array method could detect CTCs in the circulation of breast cancer patients with considerably high sensitivity and specificity.
Chen
Chung-Chi
CC
Department of Surgery, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
Chang
Tsai-Wang
TW
Chen
Fang-Ming
FM
Hou
Ming-Feng
MF
Hung
Sung-Yu
SY
Chong
Inn-Wen
IW
Lee
Su-Chen
SC
Zhou
Tian-Hong
TH
Lin
Shiu-Ru
SR
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000737:chemistry; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D012372:ROC Curve; D064249:Securin; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D000077022:Survivin; D013624:Taiwan; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics*; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D015854:Up-Regulation
C107489:BIRC5 protein, human; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D051034:Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D015347:RNA Probes; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D064249:Securin; D000077022:Survivin; C578002:pituitary tumor-transforming protein 1, human; C105156:UBE2C protein, human; D044763:Ubiquitin-Conjugating Enzymes; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; C092717:thymidine kinase 1