Detection of circulating prostate-specific antigen-positive cells in patients with prostate cancer by flow cytometry and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction

摘要: The presence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-positive cells has previously been demonstrated in the peripheral blood prostate cancer patients by flow cytometry (FC), but identity these not established. In this study, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was compared with analytical FC an attempt to detect and characterise cells. Peripheral obtained from 12 newly diagnosed untreated five controls. Nine (75%) had circulating PSA-positive as shown FC. Only one those (11.1%) found express PSA mRNA RT-PCR. absence majority samples showing suggests that they do represent haematogenous micrometastases. could monocytes PSA, either following binding/phagocytosis free serum or phagocytosis tumour