Biomarker for Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Researchers have identified a biomarker that indicates a more-aggressive form of prostate cancer, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Denver (CO) in October 2005.

Specifically, a protein called MDM2 was found to be a strong and independent predictor that the prostate cancer will metastasize beyond the prostate gland, indicating an increased risk of death from the disease. The study involved 469 men treated with short- and long-term androgen deprivation therapy and radiation. The median follow-up was 70.5 months, when an immunohistochemical analysis was conducted on prostate tissue to determine the amount of MDM2 in the prostate cancer cells.

Although other biomarkers were found to be associated with biochemical failure, distant metastasis, or overall mortality, MDM2 was consistently associated with all three outcomes. Overall, MDM2 was associated with a doubling of distant metastasis (10-20%) and a nearly 10% reduction in five-year survival.

"Staging factors for prostate cancer such as PSA [prostate-specific antigen] and the Gleason score are extremely useful in predicting prostate cancer outcome,” said Alan Pollack, M.D., Ph.D., chairman of radiation oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center (Philadelphia, PA, USA; www.fccc.edu). "However, new biomarkers hold promise in strengthening our ability to predict response to treatment. By identifying the more virulent forms of prostate cancer, we may be able to tailor treatment or develop therapies to target the abnormalities identified.”





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Fox Chase Cancer Center