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Predictive Markers and Cancer Prevention
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Quantification of cytokeratin 20, carcinoembryonic antigen and guanylyl cyclase C mRNA levels in lymph nodes may not predict treatment failure in colorectal cancer patients
Article first published online: 28 OCT 2003
DOI: 10.1002/ijc.11596
Copyright © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Additional Information
How to Cite
Bustin, S. A., Siddiqi, S., Ahmed, S., Hands, R. and Dorudi, S. (2004), Quantification of cytokeratin 20, carcinoembryonic antigen and guanylyl cyclase C mRNA levels in lymph nodes may not predict treatment failure in colorectal cancer patients. Int. J. Cancer, 108: 412–417. doi: 10.1002/ijc.11596
Publication History
- Issue published online: 21 NOV 2003
- Article first published online: 28 OCT 2003
- Manuscript Accepted: 12 SEP 2003
- Manuscript Revised: 14 JUL 2003
- Manuscript Received: 3 JAN 2003
Funded by
- Medical Research Council (MRC)
- Bowel and Cancer Research (BCR)
- Royal Society
- Abstract
- Article
- References
- Cited By
Keywords:
- colorectal cancer;
- metastasis;
- staging;
- prognosis;
- RT-PCR
Abstract
Conventional histopathologic staging of primary colorectal cancers does not allow accurate prognostic stratification within a given tumour stage. Therefore, PCR-based assays are increasingly used to try to predict more accurately the likelihood of disease progression for the individual patient. Real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) assays were used to detect and quantitate cytokeratin 20 (ck20), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and guanylyl cyclase C (GCC) mRNA in 149 lymph nodes (LN) from 17 patients with benign disease and 302 LN from 42 patients with colorectal cancer who had curative (R0) resections. None of the markers were specific, with ck20, CEA and GCC mRNA detected in 47%, 89% and 13% of 149 LN, respectively, from patients with benign disease. The sensitivity of all 3 markers was very high, with mRNA detected in 93%, 100% and 97% of 30 histologically involved LN, respectively. There was significant overlap in the mRNA levels of all 3 markers between histologically involved and uninvolved LN. There was no association between mRNA levels and distant recurrence (median follow-up: 3.94 years, range 3.35–5.12). We conclude that the use of molecular techniques to detect occult disease in LN may suffer from the same limitations as conventional methods. Instead, accurate prognostic stratification requires careful assessment of the likely metastatic potential of the primary cancer. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.