Premium
Detecting circulating prostate cells in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer: clinical implications for molecular staging
Author(s) -
Llanes L.,
Páez A.,
Ferruelo A.,
Luján M.,
Romero I.,
Berenguer A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1046/j.1464-410x.2000.00904.x
Subject(s) - prostate cancer , prostatectomy , medicine , prostate , prostate specific antigen , perineural invasion , biopsy , stage (stratigraphy) , prostate biopsy , rectal examination , urology , pca3 , transrectal ultrasonography , cancer , pathology , oncology , biology , paleontology
Objective To evaluate the clinical utility of using the reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) to detect prostate‐specific antigen (PSA) mRNA in peripheral blood samples from patients with prostate cancer, as a predictor of extraprostatic disease, and to assess any correlations with known predictive markers of this condition. Patients and methods Immediately before radical prostatectomy, peripheral blood samples were taken from 25 men with clinically localized prostate cancer and analysed for PSA mRNA using RT‐PCR (in ‘hot‐start’ conditions and confirmed using ClaI restriction enzyme). The relationships between PSA mRNA positivity, pathological and clinical features were analysed; PSA mRNA positivity, PSA level and biopsy Gleason score were then compared as predictors of extraprostatic disease. Results There was no relationship between PSA mRNA positivity and pathological stage (pT2 or pT3), and no association between PSA mRNA positivity and serum PSA level, PSA density, the findings on a digital rectal examination or transrectal ultrasonography, and perineural invasion in the prostatic biopsy. However, there was a significant correlation between the Gleason score of the preoperative biopsy and PSA mRNA positivity. The best predictors of extraprostatic disease were the biopsy Gleason score and the PSA level. Conclusion There was no significant advantage in using the RT‐PCR assay of PSA mRNA before surgery to stage prostate cancer and to discriminate between organ‐confined and extraprostatic neoplasms.