Elevated biomarkers predict risk for prostate cancer recurrence

Researchers from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center are reporting a simple blood test screening for a panel of biomarkers can better predict whether a patient who has had prostate cancer surgery will have a recurrence or spread of the disease.

The study is published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

Testing of these biomarkers can predict prostate cancer risk with 86.6 percent reliability. This is at least 15 percentage points higher than standard clinical measures currently in use, the researchers say.

“We have been looking at these biomarkers for the past 10 to 15 years in the laboratory, but now we can translate these findings into progress for the individual patient,” said Shahrokh F. Shariat, M.D., chief resident in urology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

For the study, Shariat and colleagues enrolled 423 patients who were surgically treated for prostate cancer with either radical prostatectomy or bilateral lymphadenectomy.  Using commonly available blood tests, they measured levels of seven biomarkers.

Patients were followed for approximately four years, and researchers noted cancer recurrence in 17.7 percent of patients. Elevated levels of the seven biomarkers were associated with increased risk of relapse.

The combination of all seven biomarker variables accurately predicted risk 86.6 percent of the time in this study.

“This is a large and unique improvement for patient care. Neither preoperative MRI nor any of the clinical features we have used before even comes close to this level of accuracy,” Shariat said.

Source
Clinical Cancer Research