Patent ID: 7393641

Claim:
A method of detecting micrometastasis of cells of a tumor in a sample obtained from a region of a subject other than a primary focus of the tumor, the method comprising (1) synthesizing a cDNA with a primer consisting of SEQ ID NO:20, optionally with a promoter sequence for an RNA polymerase at the 5′ end and an enzyme having RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity from the sample, (2) degrading the RNA in the cDNA with an enzyme having ribonuclease H activity to produce a single-stranded DNA, (3) forming a double-stranded DNA with an oligonucleotide consisting of SEQ ID NO:22, optionally with a promoter sequence for an RNA polymerase at the 5′ end and an enzyme having DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity, (4) transcribing the double-stranded DNA into an RNA transcript with an enzyme having RNA polymerase activity; and (5) detecting the mRNA, wherein the presence of mRNA in the sample is indicative of micrometastasis of cells of a tumor in the subject, wherein the primer consisting of SEQ ID NO:20 or SEQ ID NO:22 has a promoter sequence for an RNA polymerase at the 5′ end.