TY - JOUR T1 - Quantification of Breast Cancer Cells in Peripheral Blood Samples by Real-Time RT-PCR JF - Anticancer Research JO - Anticancer Res SP - 5387 LP - 5391 VL - 32 IS - 12 AU - MICHAEL ZEBISCH AU - ALEXANDRA C. KÖLBL AU - CHRISTIAN SCHINDLBECK AU - JULIA NEUGEBAUER AU - SABINE HEUBLEIN AU - MATTHIAS ILMER AU - BRIGITTE RACK AU - KLAUS FRIESE AU - UDO JESCHKE AU - ULRICH ANDERGASSEN Y1 - 2012/12/01 UR - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/32/12/5387.abstract N2 - Background: Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are cells that have detached from a primary tumour, circulate in the peripheral blood, and are considered to be the main root of distant metastases. We present a method for the detection of CTCs by real-time PCR on different cytokeratin markers. Materials and Methods: Blood samples of a healthy donor were mixed with specific numbers of cells from different breast carcinoma cell line cells. RNA was isolated from the samples and transcribed into cDNA. TaqMan real-time PCR for cytokeratins 8, 18 and 19 was carried out and was correlated to that of 18S. Results: Cytokeratin gene expression increased in all samples, when as few as 10 tumour cells were added. In the CAMA-1 cell line, the increase was even greater the more cells were added. Conclusion: By this methodology, cells from mammary carcinoma cell lines can be detected in blood samples. Its benefit will be validated in samples from patients with breast cancer. ER -