title: [Plasma methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction as a diagnostic tool for esophageal cancer patients].
abstract: This study was designed to perform methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MS-PCR) assay for p16, E-cadherin, and retinoic acid receptor beta genes on peripheral blood samples from patients with esophageal squamous cell cancers, and compare the results of MS PCR with conventional serum tumor markers and the CEA-specific reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay. Preoperative blood samples were obtained from 30 patients with esophageal cancer, and were subjected to MS PCR and RT-PCR assays. Eleven patients (37%) showed aberrant methylation of the promoter region of at least one gene. On the other hand, circulating tumor cells were detected in 11 patients (37%). There was no correlation between both results and conventional tumor markers. The MS-PCR and RT-PCR assays can serve as complementary diagnostic markers for screening and monitoring patients with esophageal cancers.
authors.affiliation: Devision of Digestive Surgery, Dept. of Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine.
authors.forename: Daito
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ikoma
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikoma
authors.forename: Haruhisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Soujin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sai
authors.forename: Kazuma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Shojiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fujiwara
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Akeo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hagiwara
authors.forename: Hisakazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015820:Cadherins / Q000235:genetics; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D019942:Genes, p16; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; D018168:Receptors, Retinoic Acid; C082925:retinoic acid receptor beta