Open AccessThe effect of chemo- and chemoimmunotherapy on the presence of circulating melanoma cells in peripheral blood. Preliminary results.
Author(s) -
Jolanta Szenajch,
Agnieszka Kozak,
Adam A. Kruszewski,
Ewa Babiej,
M Chomicka,
Jerzy Strużyna,
W Wiktor-Jędrzejczak
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
acta biochimica polonica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.452
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1734-154X
pISSN - 0001-527X
DOI - 10.18388/abp.1998_4323
Subject(s) - chemoimmunotherapy , melanoma , medicine , peripheral blood , adjuvant , disease , minimal residual disease , immunology , reverse transcriptase , adjuvant therapy , reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction , cancer research , oncology , immunotherapy , cancer , polymerase chain reaction , biology , immune system , messenger rna , gene , bone marrow , biochemistry
Reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) with primers specific for tyrosinase allow for a new method of early detection of individual melanoma cells in peripheral blood. Using this test the effect of chemo- and chemoimmunotherapy on the spread of early micrometastatic cancer cells has been evaluated. No significant correlations have been found between RT/PCR results on the one hand and stage of disease, a kind of the therapy protocol used and usage of the therapy as an adjuvant or palliative on the other hand. Thus, although the RT/PCR test for detection of circulating individual melanoma cells might help in identification of minimal residual disease in some patients, it has no application for routine staging of more advanced disease and in monitoring the response to therapy.