title: Preoperative nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for prostate specific membrane antigen predicts non-organ confined disease in radical prostatectomy specimens.
abstract: The aim of this study was to access the utility of the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay for prostatic specific membrane antigen (PSMA) in predicting non-organ confined (NOC) disease in final radical prostatectomy (RP) specimens. Nested RT-PCR for PSMA was performed on the blood of 33 patient candidates for RP, 20 patients with untreated metastatic disease and 20 healthy men. The final pathology report on the 33 RP patients was compared with the RT-PCR results and Partin nomograms. In the RP group, 4/18 patients with confined disease and 9/15 with NOC disease had positive RT-PCR assays. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values for RT-PCR were 60%, 77.7%, 69% and 70%, respectively. The Partin tables for this group of patients showed a sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of 75%, 71%, 60% and 83%, respectively. P-values for the Partin tables and the RT-PCR assay were respectively 0.014 and 0.037. RT-PCR of PSMA has an independent predictive value and could help predict NOC disease in clinically localized prostate cancers, but is still less efficient than Partin tables.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Athens University, Athens, Greece. medvark3@yahoo.com
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varkarakis
authors.forename: Charalambos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Deliveliotis
authors.forename: Diamandis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sideris
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Trakas
authors.forename: Aris
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Giannopoulos
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011467:Prostate / Q000276:immunology*; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen