Combination analysis of a whole lymph node by one-step nucleic acid amplification and histology for intraoperative detection of micrometastasis.

Objective: The aim was to develop a more efficient molecular detection system than histological examination (HE) for lymph node (LN) metastasis.

Methods: Cytokeratin (CK) 19 mRNA copy numbers of 5 colon carcinoma cell lines (Lovo, DLD1, WiDr, Colo201 and Colo320) were calculated and compared by one-step nucleic acid amplification (OSNA) and conventional real-time reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Then, 91 LN submitted for HE from 6 patients with advanced colorectal adenocarcinoma and 64 LN submitted for frozen diagnosis from 47 patients with different malignancies were examined by OSNA and HE.