title: Antibody responses to prostate-associated antigens in patients with prostatitis and prostate cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  An important focus of tumor immunotherapy has been the identification of appropriate antigenic targets. Serum-based screening approaches have led to the discovery of hundreds of tumor-associated antigens recognized by IgG. Our efforts to identify immunologically recognized proteins in prostate cancer have yielded a multitude of antigens; however, prioritizing these antigens as targets for evaluation in immunotherapies has been challenging. In this report, we set out to determine whether the evaluation of multiple antigenic targets would allow the identification of a subset of antigens that are common immunologic targets in patients with prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a phage immunoblot approach, we evaluated IgG responses in patients with prostate cancer (n = 126), patients with chronic prostatitis (n = 45), and men without prostate disease (n = 53).
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that patients with prostate cancer or prostatitis have IgG specific for multiple common antigens. A subset of 23 proteins was identified to which IgG were detected in 38% of patients with prostate cancer and 33% patients with prostatitis versus 6% of controls (P < 0.001 and P = 0.003, respectively). Responses to multiple members were not higher in patients with advanced disease, suggesting antibody immune responses occur early in the natural history of cancer progression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest an association between inflammatory conditions of the prostate and prostate cancer, and suggest that IgG responses to a panel of commonly recognized prostate antigens could be potentially used in the identification of patients at risk for prostate cancer or as a tool to identify immune responses elicited to prostate tissue.
authors.affiliation: University of Wisconsin Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: Brett B
authors.initials: BB
authors.lastname: Maricque
authors.forename: Jens C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Eickhoff
authors.forename: Douglas G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: McNeel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology*; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda / Q000276:immunology; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009376:Neoplasms, Hormone-Dependent / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000276:immunology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D007074:Immunoglobulin G