Peroperative detection of disseminated tumorcells in blood by patients with colon cancer

The incidence of colon tumours has strongly increased for the last few years.
About twenty to forty-five percent of the patients who have underwent a
curative resection will develop metastases in time. A possible reason is the
dissemination of tumor cells. dissemination can occur during the early phase of
tumor growth or during surgery(manipulation). The technique of RT-q-PCR could
be an attractive method to detect tumorcells in blood.

Is is possible to detect tumorcells in blood in patients with colon cancer
with RT-q-PCR.

By ten healthy persons 10 ml of blood will be drawn from the vena cephalica.
These persons will form the negative control group. From ten patients with
colon cancer with metastases also 10 ml of bloood will be drawn from the vena
cephlica. These patients will form the positive control group. If the results
are positive the next step will be as follows. By ten patients with colon
cancer without metastases blood will be drawn before surgery and during surgery
from the vena cephalica, vena portae and vena cava inferior (total 60 ml). The
blood will be examined with RT-q-PCR to detect tumorcells.

There is a chance of haematoma at the site of punction and a small risk of
bleeding from the vene.