To detect patients at high risk of micrometastases in lymph nodes, a highly sensitive PCR assay for the tumor specific marker gene cytokeratin 20 was developed. From 751 lymph nodes (41 patients) 395 were with clinical evidence. The PCR detected independently of the pTNM stage significantly more micrometastases (p = 0.021) than the histopathology. Hence, this assay is a sensitive diagnostic tool to improve the accuracy of tumor staging and possesses potential for integration into the clinical routine.
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To detect patients at high risk of micrometastases in lymph nodes, a highly sensitive PCR assay for the tumor specific marker gene cytokeratin 20 was developed. From 751 lymph nodes (41 patients) 395 were with clinical evidence. The PCR detected independently of the pTNM stage significantly more micrometastases (p = 0.021) than the histopathology. Hence, this assay is a sensitive diagnostic tool to improve the accuracy of tumor staging and possesses potential for integration into the clinical ro...
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