Molecuar detection of MUC1-positive cells in peripheral blood of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer

Objective To investigate the clinical significance of molec ul ar diagnosis of micrometastasis in peripheral blood of patients with non-small -cell lung cancer.Methods The MUC1 mRNA expression was detecte d in peripheral blood from 31 patients with lung cancer and 10 patients with ben ign pulmonary lesion by nested RT-P CR.Results In the 31 lung cancer patients, MUC1 mRNA expression was detected in 10 peripheral blood samples. The micromatastasis in peripheral blood was closely related to the pathological classification, cell differentiati on of the cancer and P-TNM stage of the disease (P0.05). No expression of MUC1 mRNA was found in the samples from patients with benign pulmonary lesion. Conclusion RT-PCR amplification of MUC1 mRNA is a specific and sensitive method of detecting micromatastasis in peripheral blood of patients w ith lung cancer . It can also provide important clinical information for pro gnosis and selection of appropriate treatment strategies.