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Letter
Nature Genetics  37, 182 - 186 (2005)
Published online: 9 January 2005; | doi:10.1038/ng1502

An expression profile for diagnosis of lymph node metastases from primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Paul Roepman1, Lodewyk F A Wessels2, 3, Nienke Kettelarij1, Patrick Kemmeren1, Antony J Miles1, Philip Lijnzaad1, Marcel G J Tilanus4, Ronald Koole5, Gert-Jan Hordijk6, Peter C van der Vliet1, Marcel J T Reinders2, Piet J Slootweg4 & Frank C P Holstege1

1  Department of Physiological Chemistry, University Medical Center Utrecht, Universiteitsweg 100, 3584 CG Utrecht, the Netherlands.

2  Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, Mekelweg 4, 2628 CD Delft, the Netherlands.

3  Department of Pathology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Plesmanlaan 121, 1066 CX Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

4  Department of Pathology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands.

5  Department of Oral and maxillofacial surgery, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands.

6  Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, the Netherlands.

Correspondence should be addressed to Frank C P Holstege f.c.p.holstege@med.uu.nl
Metastasis is the process by which cancers spread to distinct sites in the body. It is the principal cause of death in individuals suffering from cancer. For some types of cancer, early detection of metastasis at lymph nodes close to the site of the primary tumor is pivotal for appropriate treatment. Because it can be difficult to detect lymph node metastases reliably, many individuals currently receive inappropriate treatment. We show here that DNA microarray gene-expression profiling can detect lymph node metastases for primary head and neck squamous cell carcinomas that arise in the oral cavity and oropharynx. The predictor, established with an 82-tumor training set, outperforms current clinical diagnosis when independently validated. The 102 predictor genes offer unique insights into the processes underlying metastasis. The results show that the metastatic state can be deciphered from the primary tumor gene-expression pattern and that treatment can be substantially improved.


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Nature Genetics
ISSN: 1061-4036
EISSN: 1546-1718
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