Quantitative real-time RT-PCR in sentinel lymph nodes from melanoma patients. Detection of melanocytic mRNA predicts disease-free survival.
Quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) for specific melanoma markers is more sensitive than histology for detecting cells of melanocytic origin in sentinel lymph nodes (SLNs) in cutaneous melanoma. The clinical significance of a positive qRT-PCR analysis is unclear. We performed qRT-PCR for the presence of MART-1 and tyrosinase in SLNs from 93 melanoma patients, and then followed these patients clinically (median follow-up time 43.5 months). We found a significant correlation between disease progression and presence of MART-1 mRNA in SLNs (p=0.02), but no correlation with the amount of MART-1 mRNA as measured by qRT-PCR. No correlation between histology and recurrence was detected, recurrence rates being low in both histology-negative (12%) and -positive (15%) patients. We found a significant difference in disease recurrence between patients positive by both histology and RT-PCR and patients negative by both methods (15% vs 0%, p=0.02). However, a significant difference in disease recurrence was also found when comparing patients negative by both methods with patients positive by RT-PCR but negative by histology (0% vs 19%, p=0.009). This suggests that the presence of submicroscopic metastases may influence prognosis, indicating that RT-PCR detection of melanocytic cells in SLNs may be an important diagnostic marker.
Riber-Hansen
Rikke
R
Institute of Pathology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark. rrhan@as.aaa.dk
Abrahamsen
Helene Nortvig
HN
Sorensen
Boe Sandahl
BS
Hamilton-Dutoit
Stephen Jacques
SJ
Steiniche
Torben
T
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D058965:MART-1 Antigen; D008297:Male; D008544:Melanocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D008545:Melanoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D021701:Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D058965:MART-1 Antigen; C548667:MLANA protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger