Quantitative PSA mRNA determination in blood: a biochemical tool for scoring localized prostate cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to verify whether the quantitative determination of PSA mRNA in circulating cells is helpful in diagnosing and scoring localized prostate cancer (PC).


METHODS
The study included 145 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 138 with localized PC and 28 healthy controls (CS). PSA cDNA was amplified by real-time PCR from circulating mononuclear cells. Serum total and free PSA were determined. Prostate cancers were histologically scored according to the Gleason criteria.


RESULTS
The most sensitive index of PC was tPSA (70%), and the most specific was f/t PSA (80%). High PSA mRNA was found more frequently in PC patients with poorly differentiated (23.1%) than in those with well (4.5%) or moderately (4.3%) differentiated tumors.


CONCLUSIONS
tPSA and f/t PSA are the best available tools for discriminating between localized PC and BPH. The quantitative assessment of PSA mRNA in blood might be helpful in the biochemical grading of prostate cancer.
Zambon
Carlo-Federico
CF
Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.
Basso
Daniela
D
Prayer-Galetti
Tommaso
T
Navaglia
Filippo
F
Fasolo
Michela
M
Fogar
Paola
P
Greco
Eliana
E
Pagano
Francesco
F
Plebani
Mario
M
D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017931:DNA Primers; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D017931:DNA Primers; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen