Quantitative correlation of cytokeratin 19 mRNA level in peripheral blood with disease stage and metastasis in breast cancer patients: potential prognostic implications

  • Authors:
    • Ivy H.N. Wong
    • Winnie Yeo
    • Andrew T. Chan
    • Philip J. Johnson
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: March 1, 2001     https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.18.3.633
  • Pages: 633-638
Metrics: Total Views: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )
Total PDF Downloads: 0 (Spandidos Publications: | PMC Statistics: )


Abstract

Mortality among patients with breast cancer (BC) is mainly caused by metastasis. We determined the circulating tumor burden in BC patients by semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction using carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNAs as molecular markers. We distinguished the mRNA levels in circulation between BC patients and healthy controls with reference to a BC-derived cell line, SK-BR-3. We prospectively analyzed peripheral blood samples from 33 BC patients and 26 healthy controls. We found CEA mRNA in 97% of patients and 92% of normal controls, and CK19 mRNA in 72% of patients and 19% of controls. CEA and CK19 mRNAs in normal peripheral blood were most likely derived from illegitimate transcription. In 10 patients, of whom 9 (90%) developed systemic metastases, the upper limit of CK19 mRNA of normal controls was exceeded. As compared with normal controls, significantly elevated CK19 mRNA levels in the patients appeared to originate from circulating malignant BC cells (P<0.0001). It was clinically significant that the mean CK19 mRNA level increased with advancing disease stage. Of prognostic value, we report for the first time that BC patients with CK19 mRNA elevation had notably shorter (≈3-year reduction) overall survival than patients with normal CK19 mRNA levels (P=0.045). Quantification of CK19 mRNA may prove useful for cancer staging, disease monitoring and prognostic assessment among BC patients.

Related Articles

Journal Cover

March 2001
Volume 18 Issue 3

Print ISSN: 1019-6439
Online ISSN:1791-2423

Sign up for eToc alerts

Recommend to Library

Copy and paste a formatted citation
x
Spandidos Publications style
Wong IH, Yeo W, Chan AT and Johnson PJ: Quantitative correlation of cytokeratin 19 mRNA level in peripheral blood with disease stage and metastasis in breast cancer patients: potential prognostic implications. Int J Oncol 18: 633-638, 2001
APA
Wong, I.H., Yeo, W., Chan, A.T., & Johnson, P.J. (2001). Quantitative correlation of cytokeratin 19 mRNA level in peripheral blood with disease stage and metastasis in breast cancer patients: potential prognostic implications. International Journal of Oncology, 18, 633-638. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.18.3.633
MLA
Wong, I. H., Yeo, W., Chan, A. T., Johnson, P. J."Quantitative correlation of cytokeratin 19 mRNA level in peripheral blood with disease stage and metastasis in breast cancer patients: potential prognostic implications". International Journal of Oncology 18.3 (2001): 633-638.
Chicago
Wong, I. H., Yeo, W., Chan, A. T., Johnson, P. J."Quantitative correlation of cytokeratin 19 mRNA level in peripheral blood with disease stage and metastasis in breast cancer patients: potential prognostic implications". International Journal of Oncology 18, no. 3 (2001): 633-638. https://doi.org/10.3892/ijo.18.3.633