title: Detection of circulating tumor cells in peripheral blood of colorectal cancer patients without distant organ metastases.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recently, the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in peripheral blood has become an important tool for the non-invasive assessment of micrometastases and to predict clinical outcome. The objective of this study was to investigate if the presence of CTCs in peripheral blood influences the prognosis in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients without distant organ metastases.
  
  
  METHODS
  The GCC mRNA and CK20 mRNA levels in peripheral blood and the serum levels of CEA of 92 CRC patients without distant organ metastasis were analyzed by quantitative RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. Its associations with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Univariate analyses showed that lower OS and DFS rates were significantly associated with GCC and CK20 mRNA levels, the presence of lymph node metastases, the presence of mesenteric root lymph node metastases, and the presence of tumor emboli in vessels (p < 0.05), but not with CEA levels. Multivariate analyses showed a significant association between 1) OS and GCC mRNA levels and differentiation types and 2) DFS and the presence of tumor emboli in the vessels. Kaplan-Meier curves showed that DFS was significantly associated with the presence of poorly differentiated cells, the presence of mesenteric root lymph node metastases having received prior chemotherapy, and the presence of tumor emboli in vessels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The detection of CTCs in peripheral blood may be useful for the prediction of clinical outcome in CRC patients without distant organ metastases.
authors.affiliation: Surgical Department of Colorectal Cancer, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, Gongshu District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qian
authors.forename: Jian-Guo
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Hai-Xing
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Yu-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Hai-Yang
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: De-Chuan
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000097:blood; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000098:blood supply / Q000235:genetics*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D053554:Keratin-20 / Q000235:genetics; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D011379:Prognosis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D053554:Keratin-20; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase