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Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Optimization of a Multiplex RNA-based Expression Assay Using Breast Cancer Archival Material
Published on: August 1, 2018
DNA fingerprints provide a patient-specific breast cancer marker
SuEllen Toth-Fejel1, Patrick Muller, Bruce Ham
1Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Genertal Surgery, Oregon Health & Science University, 3181 S. W. Sam Jackson Park Road, Mail Code L223A, Portland, Oregon, USA.
Background:
Detection of systemic breast cancer recurrence is limited by lack of universally expressed tumor cell markers. We hypothesized that a test that detects genetic alterations specific to breast cancer cells of an individual patient would provide a superior cancer marker.
Methods:
DNA was extracted from blood, primary tumor, and axillary lymph nodes of 33 breast cancer patients and normal breast tissue of 12 control patients. A patient's genome was scanned by PCR amplification between Alu sequences. A DNA fingerprint of approximately 17-40 bands was produced for comparison between normal blood and sampled tissues.
Results:
There were 7 stage I, 18 stage II, 7 stage III, and 1 stage IV breast cancer cases; 33 of 33 cancer cases showed DNA fingerprint differences between blood and primary tumor (P <.0001). This test predicted 100% of positive nodes. No false-negatives occurred, and in two cases malignancy was detected in histologically negative nodes. Three of the 12 controls showed a single similar band change.
Conclusions:
DNA fingerprinting is a method for detecting and characterizing genetic alterations specific to an individual patient's primary tumor in 100% of cases tested. These specific changes were also identified in 100% of positive nodes, proving the capacity of the test to detect metastases.
