Objective  To evaluate the potential of specific mRNA marker keratin 19(K19) to detect micrometastasis by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) .
Methods  One hundred and ninty four regional lymph nodes harvested from 6 cases of benign diseases, 4 cases of breast carcinoma, 5 cases of gastric carcinoma and 12 cases of colorectal carcinoma patients were examined by conventional pathology and amplifying tissue specific K19 mRNA by RT-PCR separately, then the two methods were compared with each other.
Results  None of the 34 lymph nodes which were pathological metastasis-negative from benign diseases expressed K19 mRNA by RT-PCR, all of the 28 regional lymph nodes which were pathological metastasis-positive from malignant cases showed trains of K19 mRNA by RT-PCR. Of the 132 lymph nodes which were pathological metastasis-negative from malignant cases, 11 lymph nodes were detected with micrometastasis by genetic diagnosis.
Conclusion  Genetic diagnosis of lymph node micrometastasis is more sensitive than conventional pathology and has diagnostic value and merits further study.

Citation： LIU Lianjie,YE Fangyun,MENG Ronggui,et al.. CONTRAST STUDY ON DIAGNOSIS OF LYMPH NODES METASTASIS BY CONVENTIONAL PATHOLOGY AND GENETIC DETECTION. CHINESE JOURNAL OF BASES AND CLINICS IN GENERAL SURGERY, 2001, 8(4): 247-248. doi: Copy