title: MN/CA9: a potential gene marker for detection of malignant cells in effusions.
abstract: Many cancers cause malignant effusions. The presence of malignant cells in effusions has implications in diagnosis, tumour staging and prognosis. The detection of malignant cells currently presents a challenge for cytopathologists. New adjunctive methods are needed. Although the effusions provide excellent materials for molecular assay, the available molecular markers are extremely limited, which hinders its clinical application. MN/CA9 has proved to be a valuable marker in many cancers such as lung, breast, colon, kidney, etc. The present study was to evaluate MN/CA9 as a new molecular marker for the detection of cancer cells in pleural effusions. Seventy-one pleural effusions including 59 malignant effusions from patients with cancer, and 12 patients with benign diseases as a control, were subjected to RT-PCR for detection of MN/CA9 gene expression. MN/CA9 gene expression was detected in 53/59 (89.8%) pleural effusions from cancer patients (15/16 for breast cancers, 10/11 for lung cancers, 4/4 for ovary cancers, 2/3 for colon-rectal cancers, 5/6 for cancers of unknown site, 7/8 for mesothelioma and 10/11 for other cancers). Furthermore, MN/CA9 was positive in 13/18 (72.2%) of cytologically negative effusions of cancer patients. MN/CA9 was detected in only 1/12 (8.3%) effusions from the control patients (p < 0.01). The sensitivity and specificity of MN/CA9 gene expression were, respectively, 89.8% and 91.7%. Our preliminary results suggest that MN/CA9 could be a potential marker for the detection of malignant cells in effusions. A large-scale study is needed to confirm these results.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, North Hospital, CHU of Saint-Etienne, France. grli2001@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Passebosc-Faure
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cottier
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gentil-Perret
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fournel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pérol
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Genin
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D000071231:Carbonic Anhydrase IX; D002256:Carbonic Anhydrases / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D016066:Pleural Effusion, Malignant / Q000473:pathology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C089226:CA9 protein, human; D000071231:Carbonic Anhydrase IX; D002256:Carbonic Anhydrases