title: Correlation between pretreatment serum biochemical markers and treatment outcome for prostatic cancer with bony metastasis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study was undertaken to evaluate whether or not pretreatment serum biochemical markers are prognostic factors for prostatic cancer with bony metastasis in patients on hormonal treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Between 1983 and 1998, 127 patients with prostatic cancer and bony metastasis were included for evaluation. Serum prostate-specific antigen, alkaline phosphatase, calcium (Ca), lactic dehydrogenase, inorganic phosphate, gamma-glutamine transpeptidase, uric acid, albumin (Alb), iron, cholesterol (Cho), triglyceride, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and hemoglobin (Hb) were checked before treatment. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to their response (group 1, good response; group 2, poor response).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 54 patients in group 1 and 73 patients in group 2. Pretreatment levels of serum Ca, Alb, Cho and Hb were higher in group 1 than in group 2, while the other parameters were lower in group 1 than in group 2; only pretreatment levels of serum Ca, Alb and Hb were significantly different between groups (p < 0.05). When stratified by tumor grading, patients in group 1 still had significantly higher pretreatment levels of Ca, Alb and Hb than those in group 2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher pretreatment serum levels of Ca, Alb and Hb are good prognostic factors for patients with metastatic prostatic cancer on hormonal treatment, irrespective of tumor grading.
authors.affiliation: Division of Urology, Taipei City Hospital Renai Branch, and National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
authors.forename: Shiou-Sheng
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kuang-Kuo
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Alex T L
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yen-Hwa
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Howard H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Luke S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Chang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000556:secondary*; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D012709:Serum Albumin / Q000032:analysis; D015996:Survival Rate; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D012709:Serum Albumin; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen; D002118:Calcium