TDT continues to conduct extensive basic and applied research to refine and improve our assays. Current prospective clinical trials for staging patients employing GCC RT PCR include:

• A comparison of histopathology and GCC RT-PCR to determine their relative sensitivity and specificity for detecting micrometastases
• A comparison of histopathology and GCC RT-PCR to predict recurrence and disease-free survival
• Use of GCC RT-PCR to stratify lymph node-negative patients to receive chemotherapy

Presentations and journal articles regarding the use of GCC as a highly specific and sensitive marker for colorectal cancer metastases in patient trials have already been published.

These include (click to download or view the article - please be patient; some of the articles require a lengthy download):

Journal Articles:

Bacterial Enterotoxins are Associated with Resistance to Colon Cancer
Proc Natl Acad Sci, USA, Vol 100, Issue 5: 2695-2699, March 4, 2003

Ectopic Expression of Guanylyl Cyclase C in Adenocarcinomas of the Esophagus and Stomach
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2002 Aug;11 (8): 739-44

A Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (COMFA) of the Structural Determinants of Heat-Stable Enterotoxins Mediating Activation of Guanylyl Cyclase C
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Volume 45, Issue 8: pp. 1731-1734 (2002).

In Vivo Imaging of Human Colon Cancer Xenografts in Immunodeficient Mice Using a Guanylyl Cyclase C-Specific Ligand
J Nucl Med 2002 43: 392-399.

Ectopic Expression of Guanylyl Cyclase C in CD34 Progenitor Cells in Peripheral Blood
J Clin Oncology, Vol. 19;No. 19: 3951-3959, Oct. 2001

Guanylyl cyclase agonists regulate progression through the cell cycle of human colon carcinoma cells (click here)
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, Vol. 98, Issue 14, 7846-7851, July 3, 2001

Guanylyl Cyclase C Messenger RNA Is a Biomarker for Recurrent Stage II colorectal Cancer
Annals of Internal Medicine, Vol. 131; No.11; 7 December 1999.

Use of Guanylyl Cyclase C for Detecting Micrometastases in Lymph Nodes of Patients with Colon Cancer
Dis Colon Rectum 1998; 41:31-315. Read at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 22 to 26, 1997.

Guanylyl cyclase C is a selective marker for metastatic colorectal tumors in human extraintestinal tissues (click here)
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA, Vol. 93. pp. 14827-14832, December 1996
Medical Sciences.

Escherichia Coli Heat-Stable Enterotoxin Receptors: A Novel Marker for Colorectal Tumors
Dis Colon Rectum 1996; 39:171-181. Read at the meeting of The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, May 7 to 12, 1995.