Circulating tumor cells detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for carcinoembryonic antigen mRNA: Distinguishing follicular thyroid carcinoma from adenoma

• Published in: Surgery Vol. 137; no. 5; pp. 552 - 558
• Main Authors: Sato, Takashi, Harao, Michiko, Nakano, Shogo, Jotsuka, Toko, Suda, Namiko, Yamashita, Jun-ichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Mosby, Inc 01.05.2005; Elsevier BV; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adenoma; Adenoma - diagnosis; Adenoma - metabolism; Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Carcinoembryonic Antigen; Carcinoembryonic Antigen - genetics; Carcinoembryonic Antigen - metabolism; Carcinoma; Carcinoma - diagnosis; Carcinoma - metabolism; Case-Control Studies; Diagnosis, Differential; Endocrinopathies; Follow-Up Studies; General aspects; Goiter, Nodular; Goiter, Nodular - diagnosis; Goiter, Nodular - metabolism; Humans; Malignant tumors; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating - metabolism; Prospective Studies; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger; RNA, Messenger - metabolism; Sensitivity and Specificity; Thyroid Neoplasms; Thyroid Neoplasms - diagnosis; Thyroid Neoplasms - metabolism; Thyroid. Thyroid axis (diseases); Endocrinopathy; RNA-directed DNA polymerase; Tumor associated antigen; Enzyme; Oncofetal antigen; Transferases; Thyroid diseases; Malignant tumor; Adenoma; Follicular carcinoma; Thyroid carcinoma; Medicine; Carcinoembryonic antigen; Nucleotidyltransferases; Thyroid cancer; Messenger RNA; Treatment; Surgery; Benign neoplasm; Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction; Tumor cell
• ISSN: 0039-6060; 1532-7361
• DOI: 10.1016/j.surg.2004.11.006

We prospectively tested whether circulating tumor cells could be detected in peripheral blood of patients with thyroid tumors by a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) messenger RNA (mRNA). We assayed for CEA mRNA by RT-PCR in peripheral blood sampled before and 2 to 3 weeks after curative surgery for thyroid tumors in 121 patients. Blood samples from 7 patients with chronic thyroiditis and 7 healthy subjects served as controls. No control samples were positive for CEA mRNA by RT-PCR. Of 121 preoperative samples from patients with thyroid tumor, 6 were positive (5.0%). Preoperative frequencies of CEA mRNA positivity in benign tumor, papillary carcinoma, follicular variant papillary carcinoma, minimally invasive follicular carcinoma, and widely invasive follicular carcinoma were 0%, 0%, 0%, 44.4% (4/9), and 50.0% (2/4), respectively. Among positive patients only one, who had widely invasive follicular carcinoma, remained positive after surgery. RT-PCR detection of tumor cells in preoperative blood often can distinguish malignant from benign follicular thyroid tumors.