Circulating cell-free mRNA in plasma as a tumor marker for patients with primary and recurrent gastric cancer.
BACKGROUND
The diagnostic value of circulating mRNA for the early detection of primary and recurrent gastric cancer was evaluated.


METHODS
Circulating hTERT and MUC1 mRNA were amplified in the plasma from 52 gastric cancer patients (40 preoperative and 12 postoperative patients) and 20 healthy controls. The results were compared with those of a circulating cancer cell assay and methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction assay.


RESULTS
Cell-free mRNA of the analyzed genes was detected in 6 (15%) preoperative gastric cancer patients (hTERT: 3 and MUC1: 4 patients) and 2 follow-up patients. These mRNAs were not detected in the plasma from healthy volunteers. There was no correlation between the results of the cell-free mRNA and the other assays.


CONCLUSIONS
Detection of circulating cell-free mRNA might serve as a new complementary tumor marker for gastric cancer.
Tani
Nobuyuki
N
Department of Surgery, Division of Digestive Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.
Ichikawa
Daisuke
D
Ikoma
Daito
D
Tomita
Haruhisa
H
Sai
Soujin
S
Ikoma
Hisashi
H
Okamoto
Kazuma
K
Ochiai
Toshiya
T
Ueda
Yuji
Y
Otsuji
Eigo
E
Yamagishi
Hisakazu
H
Miura
Norimasa
N
Shiota
Goshi
G
D000368:Aged; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins / Q000235:genetics; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D019098:Telomerase / Q000235:genetics
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase