title: Use of neuroendocrine serum markers in the follow-up of patients with cancer of the prostate.
abstract: Neuroendocrine (NE) differentiation of prostatic adenocarcinomas has received increasing attention in recent years as a result of possible implications on prognosis and therapy. The incidence of NE cells in tumors has been reported from 10% up to 100%. Several studies have shown chromogranin A (CgA) to be the most reliable serum marker of NE differentiation. We have followed 22 patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma over a 2-year period. The patients underwent a palliative transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) because of urinary outflow obstruction. The prostatic tissue specimens were stained immunohistochemically using antibodies against CgA, chromogranin B (CgB), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), serotonin, and somatostatin. In addition, each specimen was stained with hematoxylin & eosin (H & E), and saffran for tumor grading. Blood samples were taken preoperatively and after 1, 3, 6, and 24 months. The serum values of CgA, CgB, pancreastatin (Pst), NSE, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) were determined from each sample. Carcinomas with groups of CgA-positive cells had higher serum levels of CgA compared to carcinomas with no or only scattered CgA-positive NE cells. During the 2-year period, there were no statistical significant variations in serum levels of CgA, NSE, Pst, and PSA. However, there was a significant increase in serum levels of CgB during the same period, P = 0.002, possibly due to an increase in number of NE cells in tumor or to a relative increase in production of CgB in the NE cells.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Endocrinology, Gastroenterology and Oncology, University of Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Angelsen
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Syversen
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Stridsberg
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Haugen
authors.forename: O K
authors.initials: OK
authors.lastname: Mjølnerød
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Waldum
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000097:blood; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000166:cytology*; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase