BLOOD TUMOR MARKERS FOR MOLECULAR DIAGNOSIS OF BREAST DISEASE AND MONITORING

该子项目是利用NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的许多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能从另一个NIH来源获得主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。所列机构为中心机构，不一定为研究者机构。乳腺癌是女性最常见的癌症，占所有女性癌症的三分之一。乳腺癌的死亡通常是由于扩散到其他器官，这可能通过血液发生。我们设计了一种血液测试，使用称为K19 RT-PCR的测试来检测逃离乳房的少量乳腺癌细胞。对乳腺癌患者的初步测试表明，血液中癌细胞的高K19 mRNA水平与更晚期的癌症有关。我们还看到，这些K19水平在化疗后下降到正常水平。我们认为，血液中癌细胞的存在（由较高的K19 mRNA指示）将与癌症复发相关，并且较高的K19将在较大的肿瘤中发现。 为了验证这一假设，我们将收集最近诊断为乳腺癌的患者以及良性乳腺疾病患者的血液样本。在测量K19 mRNA后，我们将比较各组的平均K19水平。对于乳腺癌患者，我们还将比较K19水平与已知与医学进步相关的肿瘤特征。随后将随时间推移跟踪K19水平，以评估癌症治疗期间的趋势，以确定它们是否与肿瘤反应，复发和生存有关。受试者样本也将用于开发乳腺癌的其他早期标志物，如一种称为BI-PAP-A（S。Sommer）和蛋白质组学分析（T. Lee）。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, accounting for a third of all female cancers. Death from breast cancer is usually due to spread to other organs, which can occur through the blood. We have designed a blood test to detect small numbers of breast cancer cells that have escaped the breast, using a test called K19 RT-PCR. Initial testing in women with breast cancer suggests that high K19 mRNA levels from cancer cells in the blood relate to more advanced cancer. We have also seen that these K19 levels go down to normal levels after treatment with chemotherapy. We believe that the presence of cancer cells in the blood indicated by higher K19 mRNA will be associated with cancer recurrence, and that higher K19 will be found with bigger tumors. To test this hypothesis, we will collect blood samples from patients recently diagnosed with breast cancer, as well as from those with benign breast disease. After measuring K19 mRNA, we will compare average K19 levels across the groups. For those with breast cancer, we will also compare K19 levels to tumor characteristics known to be associated with medical progress. K19 levels will then be followed over time to evaluate trends during cancer treatment, to see if they relate to tumor response, relapse and survival. Subject sample will also be used to develop other early markers of breast cancer, such as a novel nucleic acid assay called BI-PAP-A (S. Sommer) and proteomic profiling (T. Lee).