title: Relationships between reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction for prostate specific antigen, survival, and various prognostic laboratory factors in patients with hormone refractory prostate cancer.
abstract: The detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mRNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the bloodstream of prostate cancer patients has been hypothesized as a prognostic marker, however little data are available concerning the association between this molecular marker and other laboratory values of potential importance. In this study, in patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC), relationships were determined between PSA RT-PCR positivity, survival, and various relevant markers including serum PSA, LDH, albumin, alkaline phosphatase and hemoglobin. A total of 19/30 HRPC patients were positive for PSA by RT-PCR. Positivity was significantly linked to serum PSA (P=0.004) and serum alkaline phosphatase (P=0.026) but not to the other laboratory variables. Median survival time for RT-PCR-positive patients was 9 months, compared to 19 months for RT-PCR-negative patients (P=0.035). Median survival time for patients with a hemoglobin>or=11 g/dL was 12 months, compared to 9 months for patients with <11 g/dL (P=0.005). Dichotomized (>or=or<median) serum PSA, LDH, alkaline phosphatase, and albumin were not significantly associated with survival in univariate analyses. In multivariate analysis, only dichotomized hemoglobin (<11 g/dL vs. >or=11 g/dL) remained statistically significant (P=0.019), indicating that RT-PCR had no independent association with survival after controlling for hemoglobin status in this study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University School of Medicine, and Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Navjeet K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Gandhok
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Looney
authors.forename: Shahriar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koochekpour
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sartor
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen