Expression of MAGE A 1-6 mRNA in sputa of head and neck cancer patients--a preliminary report
Lee, K.Dae.; Lee, H.Ho.; Joo, H.Bum.; Lee, H.Shin.; Yu, T.Hyun.; Chang, H.Kyung.; Jeon, C.Ho.; Park, J.Wook.
Anticancer research 26(2B): 1513-1518
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 0250-7005 PMID: 16619566 Document Number: 604309
The applicability of the melanoma antigen gene (MAGE) to the molecular diagnosis of cancer, by detecting MAGE mRNA in the sputa of head and neck cancer patients, was investigated. Nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with the MAGE common primers designed to detect MAGE A1-6 genes was conducted with sputa of 17 head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. Of the 17 sputa specimens from patients with squamous cell carcinoma, MAGE mRNA was detected in 13 cases, while the detection rate was 2 out of 40 in the normal control group, showing significant correlation (p<0.05) between head and neck squamous cell carcinoma and MAGE mRNA expression in sputa. MAGE may be a useful tumor marker of head and neck cancer.