© 2003 BMJ Publishing Group & Association of Clinical Pathologists
SHORT REPORT
No evidence of tumour cells in blood of patients with glioma
1 Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital, Domagkstr. 19, 48149 Münster, Germany
2 Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital, Münster
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr W Paulus, Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital, Domagkstr. 19, 48149 Münster, Germany;
werner.paulus{at}uni-muenster.de
Background: Although clinically apparent systemic metastases of gliomas are very rare, reports of gliomas developing in recipient’s transplanted organs have suggested that haematogenous spread might be more common.
Methods: This report describes a newly developed, sensitive real time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay for the detection of mRNA encoding glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Blood from 10 patients with astrocytoma and 10 patients with glioblastoma was analysed.
Results: No GFAP mRNA was detected.
Conclusions: These results suggest that even subclinical metastases are very rare and are probably restricted to distinct subsets of glioma.
Keywords: glioma; dissemination; blood
Abbreviations: B2M, ß2 microglobulin; GFAP, glial fibrillary acidic protein; RT-PCR, reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
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