Abstract: Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic significance of detecting cytokeratin 19 (CK19) mRNA by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in benign and malignant pleural effusions. Methods: CK19 mRNA was examined by quantitative RT-PCR and CK19 was detected by Enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) in 32 patients with malignant pleural effusions and 35 patients with benign pleural effusions. Results: On the threshold of 200 copies/μl, the positive rate of CK19 mRNA in patients with malignant pleural effusions was 62.5%. The positive rates of CK19 mRNA and CK19 in the malignant pleural effusions were significantly higher than those in the benign group (P<0.01). Furthermore, the positive rate of CK19 mRNA was higher than that of CK19 in the malignant group (P<0.05). Conclusion: Detection of CK19 mRNA can be a promising diagnostic marker in differential diagnosis of benign and malignant pleural effusions.

Key words: Cytokeratin 19 mRNA, Quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, Pleural effusions

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