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Previous Volume 340:1687 May 27, 1999 Number 21 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: Metastatic relapse after the complete resection of an apparently localized primary tumor indicates that disseminated cancer cells, present at the time of surgery, are sometimes undetectable by current methods. Using monoclonal antibody Ber-Ep4 against an epithelial-cell surface antigen, we can detect one tumor cell in a background of 10⁴ to 10⁵ lymph-node cells. This finding is prognostically relevant in patients with operable lung or esophageal cancer.^1,2 However, it remains unclear whether these immunopositive cells are viable tumor cells with metastatic potential, shed tumor cells with a limited life span, or simply laboratory artifacts.³

We report direct evidence . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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