Detection of breast cancer micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes by means of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Comparison between MUC1 mRNA and keratin 19 mRNA amplification.

Abstract

Usefulness of MUC1 mRNA and keratin 19 mRNA as a target of reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was compared in the detection of breast cancer micrometastases in axillary lymph nodes. RT-PCR amplification of MUC1 mRNA and keratin 19 mRNA was conducted using total RNA samples. RT-PCR products were stained with ethidium bromide and analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Expression of both MUC1 mRNA and keratin 19 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in a breast cancer cell line (MRK) and in all the 23 primary breast cancers but not in the control lymph nodes obtained from patients with benign diseases. A serial dilution study of MRK cells against normal lymph node cells has shown that detection sensitivity of MUC1 RT-PCR and keratin 19 RT-PCR were 1/10(5) and 1/10(6) (cancer/lymph node cells), respectively. Sixty-three axillary lymph nodes were obtained from 23 patients with primary breast cancer, and metastases in each lymph node were investigated by histological examination (hematoxylin and eosin sections) and RT-PCR method. In all 10 lymph nodes, which were histologically metastasis-positive, both MUC1 mRNA and keratin mRNA were detected by RT-PCR. Of the 53 histologically negative lymph nodes, 3 (6%) and 5 (9%) lymph nodes were found to express MUC1 mRNA and keratin 19 mRNA, respectively, indicating the presence of micrometastases which could be detected by RT-PCR but not by histological examination. These results demonstrate the usefulness of both MUC1 RT-PCR and keratin 19 RT-PCR in the detection of breast cancer micrometastases in lymph nodes, and also indicate the superiority of keratin 19 RT-PCR over MUC1 RT-PCR because of its higher detection sensitivity.

• Authors: S Noguchi, T Aihara, K Motomura, H Inaji, S Imaoka, H Koyama
• Journal: The American journal of pathology (Am J Pathol) Vol. 148 Issue 2 Pg. 649-56 (Feb 1996) ISSN: 0002-9440 [Print] United States
• PMID: 8579127 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• DNA Primers
• Mucin-1
• RNA, Messenger
• Keratins
• RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase

Topics

• Axilla
• Base Sequence
• Breast Neoplasms (pathology)
• DNA Primers
• Female
• Humans
• Keratins (analysis, genetics)
• Lymph Nodes (chemistry, pathology)
• Lymphatic Metastasis (diagnosis, pathology)
• Molecular Sequence Data
• Mucin-1 (analysis, genetics)
• Polymerase Chain Reaction (methods)
• RNA, Messenger (analysis, genetics)
• RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase
• Retrospective Studies
• Sensitivity and Specificity