Predictive and prognostic value of peripheral blood cytokeratin-19 mRNA-positive cells detected by real-time polymerase chain reaction in node-negative breast cancer patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the predictive and prognostic value of peripheral blood cytokeratin-19 (CK-19) mRNA-positive cells in axillary lymph node-negative breast cancer patients.

Patients And Methods: Peripheral blood was obtained from 167 node-negative breast cancer patients before the initiation of any systemic adjuvant therapy, and was analyzed for the presence of CK-19 mRNA-positive cells using a real time polymerase chain reaction assay. The association with known prognostic factors and the effect of CK-19 mRNA-positive cells on patients' prognosis was investigated.

Serial blood donations for intrauterine transfusions of severe hemolytic disease of the newborn with the use of recombinant erythropoietin in a pregnant woman alloimmunized with anti-Ku.

Background: The management of a pregnant woman with the rare Ko phenotype and anti-Ku is a special challenge, because matched blood is extremely rare and the possibility of severe hemolytic disease of the newborn is high.

Case Report: A 30-year-old woman with rare Ko (Knull) phenotype presented at 18 weeks of gestation with positive indirect agglutination test results. She had anti-Ku due to previous blood transfusion, one pregnancy, and two abortions.