Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Improved methods using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to detect tumour cells.

S A Burchill1, I J Lewis, P Selby

  • 1Candlelighter's Children's Cancer Research Laboratory, St James University Hospital, Leeds, UK.

British Journal of Cancer
|March 10, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

BONUS: the National Oncology Network for Students and Junior Doctors.

Clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain))·2022
Same author

Medical Student Perspectives on Undergraduate Oncology Education in the UK.

Clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain))·2022
Same author

Correction to: Building on existing tools to improve chronic disease prevention and screening in public health: a cluster randomized trial.

BMC public health·2021
Same author

Building on existing tools to improve chronic disease prevention and screening in public health: a cluster randomized trial.

BMC public health·2021
Same author

Predisposing and protective factors influencing suicide ideation, attempt, and death in patients accessing substance use treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis protocol.

Systematic reviews·2019
Same author

Lessons learned implementing a province-wide smoking cessation initiative in Ontario's cancer centres.

Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.)·2017
Same journal

The concept of functional cure in advanced/metastatic melanoma treated with combined nivolumab and ipilimumab or nivolumab alone.

British journal of cancer·2026
Same journal

Efficacy and safety of a novel oral anti-vasculogenic mimicry agent, CVM-1118, in advanced well-differentiated neuroendocrine tumors: a Phase IIa trial.

British journal of cancer·2026
Same journal

Altretamine induces ferroptosis in small cell lung cancer by promoting epigenetic silencing and lysosomal degradation of GPX4.

British journal of cancer·2026
Same journal

Revisiting retinoic acid in AML therapy: mechanisms of action and rational combination strategies.

British journal of cancer·2026
Same journal

De novo cancer-related mortality after solid organ transplantation in England: the EpCOT study.

British journal of cancer·2026
Same journal

Planetary Health Diet Index and breast cancer risk.

British journal of cancer·2026
See all related articles

Analyzing circulating tumor cells using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is more sensitive and reproducible when using poly-A+ RNA isolation. This method improves detection of tumor cells in peripheral blood samples.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is a sensitive molecular technique.
  • Its application in detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) shows potential but faces challenges.
  • Controversy surrounding its clinical utility stems largely from varied sample processing methods.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the sensitivity and reproducibility of RT-PCR for CTC detection.
  • To evaluate four common sample processing methods for RT-PCR analysis.
  • To determine the optimal method for reliable CTC detection in peripheral blood.

Main Methods:

  • RT-PCR was used to detect spiked tumor cells in whole blood samples.
  • Four sample processing methods were compared: mononuclear cell RNA, whole blood total RNA, and poly-A+ RNA.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Sensitivity and reproducibility were assessed using cell spiking experiments and patient blood samples.

    • Main Results:

    • RT-PCR detected one tumor cell per 2 ml of blood across all tested methods.
    • No false positives were observed.
    • Mononuclear cell isolation reduced reproducibility; poly-A+ RNA isolation yielded 100% sensitivity in spiking experiments.
    • Poly-A+ RNA analysis increased positive results for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) mRNA in patient samples compared to total RNA.

    Conclusions:

    • Isolation of poly-A+ RNA significantly enhances the sensitivity and reproducibility of RT-PCR for detecting circulating tumor cells.
    • This method offers a more reliable approach for CTC detection in peripheral blood compared to other tested methods.
    • Optimized sample processing is crucial for the clinical utility of RT-PCR in cancer diagnostics.