DETECTION OF MICROMETASTASIS IN PATIENTS WITH BREAST CARCINOMA: DETERMINATION OF MAMMAGLOBIN A (MGA)

CEBALLOS, PAULA; ZUMOFFEN, CARLOS M.; CAPITAINE FUNES, CARLOS; CIPULLI, G; TOZZINI, ROBERTO; GHERSEVICH, SERGIO

Rosario

Congreso; VIII Congreso XXVI Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Biología de Rosario; 2006

Sociedad de Biología de Rosario

The expression of mammaglobin A (MGA) is restricted to the normal breast epithelium and most of breast carcinomas. In this study the expression of MGA in peripheral blood from 16 patients diagnosed with breast cancer (without treatment) was investigated for the detection of tumour circulating cells (micrometastasis). It was also analyzed the correlation between MGA detection and the presence of node metastasis. The nucleate cells were isolated from the peripheral blood with a density gradient and total RNA was isolated with TriZol. The expression of MGA was detected by RT-PCR, using a nested PCR to amplify a specific sequence (201 bp) of the cDNA of MGA. PCR products were analyzed on 2% agarose gels and stained with ethydium bromide. The cDNA obtained from a non-malignant breast tissue was used as positive controls and the cDNA from blood samples of healthy volunteers was used as negative controls. The correlation analysis was performed with the use of contingency tables based on Fisher´s exact test. A value of p<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. The expression of MGA was detected in 44 % of the analyzed samples and in 42 % when only were considered the patients with node metastasis. It was detected in 50 % of the samples in absence of node metastasis. A lack of significant correlation between the detection of the MGA and the presence of node metastasis was found. The detection in blood of MGA might be an independent marker to establish the advance of the disease and to evaluate the type of treatment to provide to patients in the absence of node metastasis.