Assessment of CD44 and K19 as markers for circulating breast cancer cells using immunobead RT-PCR

Includes bibliographies.[xvii], 173, [38] leaves, [18] leaves of platesThis thesis presents the development of an assay for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to be applied to the immunomagnetic isolation of carcinoma cells, as a possible means of detecting small numbers of breast cancer cells in a haemopoietic environment. The messenger RNA expression of two different genes, CD44 and the cytokeratin K19, is assessed for suitability as tumour markers for the Immunobead RT-PCR method, and clinical results using K19 are presented.Thesis (M.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Dept. of Medicine, 1997