Detection of Alpha-fetoprotein mRNA in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma by RT-PCR

To establish a method for detecting tumor micrometastasis in peripheral blood.Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to detect Alpha-fetoprotein mRNA(AFP mRNA) in peripheral blood of 78 patients with primary hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC).The serum AFP level was determined by microparticle enzyme immunoassay.The results showed that the AFP mRNA positive rate in patients with HCC,patients with other diseases,and the normal healthy people were 61.54%,1.83% and 0 respectively.The presence of AFP mRNA in blood of HCC patients was correlated with portal vein invasion,intrahepatic and extrahepatic metastasis,tumor size and TNM staging.RT-PCR is a sensitive method for detecting AFP mRNA in peripheral blood of HCC patients,which might predict early metastasis of cancer cells.