title: [Detection of mRNA expression of CK-19 and MUC1 gene for diagnosis of lymph node micrometastasis in NSCLC patients by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate gene diagnosis of micrometastasis in lymph nodes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and the feasibility of mucin 1 (MUC1) mRNA and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA as molecular marker to detect micrometastasis of lung cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Expression of MUC1 mRNA and CK19 mRNA was detected in 119 lymph nodes taken from 31 patients with NSCLC, 35 lymph nodes from 10 patients with pulmonary benign diseases as controls by nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the 119 lymph nodes from lung cancer patients, CK19 mRNA expression was detected in 66 lymph nodes (55.5%) and MUC1 mRNA expression was detected in 65 lymph nodes (54.5%) by RT-PCR. Neither CK19 mRNA nor MUC1 mRNA expression was observed in all the 35 lymph nodes in the benign pulmonary lesion group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that the detection of both MUC1 and CK19 mRNA might be helpful to diagnose NSCLC micrometastasis in lymph nodes. The establishment of this method may lead to an earlier diagnosis of metastasis for lung cancer.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Lung Cancer Molecular Biology of Sichuan Province, Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, P.R.China.
authors.forename: Zhongxi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Niu
authors.forename: Qinghua
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Zhilin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Zhefang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Wen
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Guowei
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Che
authors.forename: Jianjun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Xiaohe
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Che