New Marker Genes for Real-Time PCR-based Detection of Circulating Tumour Cells from Blood of Breast Cancer Patients.
BACKGROUND
The detection of circulating tumour cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood of cancer patients can be carried out by real-time PCR approaches using different gene expression levels of tumour cells and surrounding blood cells.


METHODS
Potential marker genes were first analyzed in a model system and then applied to 20 blood samples of adjuvant breast cancer patients and gene expression levels were correlated to tumour characteristics.


RESULTS
The mean of gene expression levels was found elevated for the four genes analyzed in the adjuvant breast cancer patient group in comparison to the samples of the group of healthy donors, but no correlation between gene expression and tumour characteristics could be detected as being statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The results demonstrated, that the employed methodology is functional, but has to be refined by certain approaches like simultaneously running a state-of-the-art system of CTC-detection comparing the results, and by an enlargement of patient collective and number of marker genes.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Alexandra C
AC
Kölbl
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Dominik
D
Bräuer
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Stefan
S
Hutter
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Brigitte
B
Rack
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Klaus
K
Friese
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany Udo.Jeschke@med.uni-muenchen.de.
Udo
U
Jeschke
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Ulrich
U
Andergassen
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D002403:Cathepsins / Q000235:genetics; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen / Q000235:genetics; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D002403:Cathepsins; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D011960:Receptors, Estrogen; D011980:Receptors, Progesterone; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human; C117627:CTSV protein, human
Breast Cancer; circulating tumour cells; marker genes; real-time PCR