THE CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE ON DETECTION OF CYTOKERATIN 19 mRNA IN PERIPHERAL VENOUS BLOOD FROM PATIENTS WITH LUNG CANCER

Objective:To establish a method to detect circulating cells of lung cancer and study its clinical implication.Methods:RT PCR was employed to examine the specific express of CK19 mRNA in peripheral blood of lung cancer.Rusults:Of the 40 patients of lung cancer,16(40 %) had positive CK19 mRNA,while CK19 mRNA detected in only 1 of 15 patients with benign lung disorder and was not detected among 5 healthy subjects.In 10 patients with extra lung metastases,10(100%)were positive for CK19 mRNA.In patients who did not yet have metastasis,20% of them (6/30) had positive CK19 mRNA.There was significant difference in the two groups on quantitative examination of CK19 mRNA.Conclusion:Cytokeratin 19 mRNA is a good target of RT PCR for detection of lung cancer micrometastases in peripheral blood.Quantitative examination of CK19 mRNA in peripheral blood is a valuable marker for detecting hematogenous metastasis of lung cancer.Regular detection of CK19 mRNA in peripheral blood might be a good marker to observe the effect of therapy.