Utilization of polymerase chain reaction technology in the detection of solid tumors

Merrie, Arend E. H.; Yun, Kankatsu; McCall, John

doi:10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19990101)85:1<248::aid-cncr39>3.0.co;2-v

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…In many clinical studies, the detection of tumor cells in whole organs has been greatly aided by use of the polymerase chain reaction [17][18][19][20]. However, the general applicability of this approach has been hampered by difficulties in the quantification of the amplification reaction and other problems, such as the detection of false positives, due to the illegitimate expression of target genes from normal tissue [21][22][23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metastatic burden in nude mice organs measured using prostate tumor PC-3 cells expressing the luciferase gene as a quantifiable tumor cell marker

et al. 2000

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BACKGROUND Sensitive procedures for quantitative measurement of tumor cell spread as a function of time and primary tumor size are necessary to generate models of metastasis and formulate therapies. METHODS Prostate carcinoma cells PC‐3.luc expressing the luciferase gene were intramuscularly inoculated in nude mice to generate experimental tumors. Metastatic cells in target organs were easily counted by their capacity to produce light. RESULTS Tumor cells were very mobile and migrated to all the target organs examined: lymph nodes, brain, bone, lungs, liver, kidney, spleen, testicles, prostate, seminal vesicle, and scrotum. Organ colonization started very early, 14 days after inoculation, when primary tumors were very small and produced an amount of light equivalent to that generated by 2 × 104 tumor cells in vitro (tumor cell equivalents, TCEs). Tumor cell burden could be quantitatively described by power functions of time or primary tumor light‐producing capacity. The ratio of metastatic TCEs to primary tumor TCEs clustered around organ characteristic values: 10−3 for femur and lumbar lymph nodes, 10−6 for the spleen, and 10−3 for the added set of organs. CONCLUSIONS Dispersal of PC‐3 tumor cells from IM experimental tumors started early before the third week postinoculation and when primary tumors had 2 × 104 TCEs. Tumor cells were found widely spread in all the organs tested. The possibility of easily quantifying tumor cell burden should make this approach useful for the study of metastasis and the development of antimetastatic therapies. Prostate 44:133–143, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

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