Detection of mammaglobin expressing cells in blood of breast cancer patients

Expression of human mammaglobin (hMAM) was published to be exclusively expr essed in mammary tissue, in solid tumors, axillary lymph nodes and dissemin ated cancer cells in blood of breast cancer patients. A quantitative real-t ime reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test was appli ed to investigate hMAM expression in blood of breast cancer patients. Mamma globin mRNA expression was found not only in breast cancer cell lines but a lso in cell lines of other cancer origin. In our patient cohort hMAM expres sion in 11/98 (11%) samples of breast cancer and 3/12 (25%) ovarian cancer patients could be detected. hMAM mRNA expression as a candidate marker for the detection of disseminated cancer cells in blood of breast cancer patien ts showed low sensitivity and reduced tissue specificity. A prognostic sign ificance of hMAM expression could not be demonstrated. (C) 2000 Elsevier Sc ience Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.