Systemically disseminated @entity5 cells have become the subject of intensive research as the presumed seminal precursors of later distant @entity3 . We describe here a novel sensitive multimarker nested reverse transcription (RT)-PCR capable of detecting the individual expression of @entity1 MAGE-A genes @entity6472 , and -12 by rare, disseminated @entity5 cells in bone marrow and blood of @entity1 with many different types of @entity5 . We analyzed bone marrow aspirates from 106 @entity1 with breast, lung, @entity14 and with different @entity242 . Heterogeneous expression of the different MAGE genes was found frequently in all those kinds of @entity5 , in sharp contrast to 30 bone marrow and 20 blood samples from healthy donors, which were completely MAGE negative. Expression of at least one MAGE gene in bone marrow was more frequent than cytokeratin-positive @entity5 cells detected by immunocytochemistry, although the results of both tests overlapped considerably. In 30 @entity1 with clinically localized @entity263 , analysis by the multimarker MAGE RT-PCR of bilateral bone marrow aspirates from the right and left iliac crest revealed a positivity rate of 60%, which was twice as high as that obtained with either an established prostate-specific antigen RT-PCR or by cytokeratin-based immunocytochemistry. Analysis of primary @entity263 revealed MAGE expression patterns considerably concordant with those found in the corresponding bone marrow aspirates. @entity263 @entity1 carrying an exceptionally high risk of metastatic relapse, as defined by clinical prognostic factors, were significantly more often MAGE positive than @entity1 with a distinctly lower risk (P = 0.02, Fisher's exact test). More frequent MAGE expression in the peripheral blood of @entity1 with @entity263 compared with those with clinically localized disease added further evidence for the prognostic impact of the multimarker MAGE RT-PCR. Moreover, MAGE-positive bone marrow samples from a small group of seven @entity242 @entity1 demonstrated the relevance of our multimarker RT-PCR in nonepithelial @entity5 . Because MAGE antigens can induce autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes in vivo, the determination of individual MAGE expression patterns in @entity5 @entity1 may furthermore identify candidate vaccine targets for adjuvant immunotherapy.

Heterogeneous expression of MAGE-A genes in occult disseminated XXXX cells: a novel multimarker reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for diagnosis of micrometastatic disease.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human', 'patients'] @entity263 :: ('MESH:D011471', 'Disease') :: ['metastatic prostate cancer', 'prostate cancer', 'Prostate cancer'] @entity242 :: ('MESH:D012509', 'Disease') :: ['sarcoma', 'sarcomas'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['tumor', 'tumors', 'cancer', 'malignancies'] @entity6472 :: ('4100', 'Gene') :: ['MAGE-1, -2, -3/6, -4'] @entity14 :: ('MESH:D015179', 'Disease') :: ['colorectal, and prostate cancer'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastasis']
@entity5 :: (MESH:D009369,Disease) :: ['tumor']
