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Updated: Jul 11, 2026
Detection and Isolation of Circulating Melanoma Cells using Photoacoustic Flowmetry
Published on: November 25, 2011
[Detection of circulating malignant cells in patients with uveal melanoma]
Bruno F Fernandes1, Emilia Antecka, Gilberto dos Passos
1Departamento de Oftalmologia e Patologia da McGill University Health Center & Henry C. Witelson Ocular Pathology Laboratory, Montreal, Canadá. bruno.mtl@gmail.com
Purpose:
The purpose of our study was to detect circulating malignant cells (CMCs) in oversea-shipped blood samples of patients with uveal melanoma diagnosed in Brazil. METHODOS: Melan-A and tyrosinase were the two markers used for the detection of CMCs, using reverse transcriptase nested polymerase chain reaction (RT-nested-PCR) in 6 patients with uveal melanoma. The expression of beta-actin and GAPDH were used to assess the quality of the material.
Results:
Five patients (83.33%) tested positive for the presence of CMCs. The RT-nested-PCR was positive for melan-A in 4 patients (66.7%) and positive for tyrosinase in 4 (66.7%) of the 6 patients. Three (50%) patients were positive for both markers. One (16.7%) patient was negative for both markers. All negative controls were negative.
Conclusion:
The quality of the blood samples shipped overseas, from patients with uveal melanoma, was preserved. The detection of CMCs using RT-nested-PCR was positive in the majority of the patients.
