title: Circulating cell-free mRNA in plasma as a tumor marker for patients with primary and recurrent gastric cancer.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Division of Digestive Surgery, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ichikawa
authors.forename: Daito
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ikoma
authors.forename: Haruhisa
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Soujin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sai
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikoma
authors.forename: Kazuma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: Toshiya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Eigo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Otsuji
authors.forename: Hisakazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yamagishi
authors.forename: Norimasa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Goshi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shiota
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C509186:TERT protein, human; D019098:Telomerase