title: Serum sarcosine is a risk factor for progression and survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sarcosine has been identified as a differential metabolite that is greatly increased during progression from normal tissue to prostate cancer and metastatic disease. In this study we assessed the role of serum sarcosine in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from 52 mCRPC patients treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves, and Kaplan-Meier and Cox multivariate analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median sarcosine values were significantly higher in mCRPC versus non-mCRPC patients (0.81 vs 0.52 nmol/µl; p < 0.0001). A significant correlation resulted between serum sarcosine levels and the duration of hormone sensitivity (Spearman's correlation coefficient: -0.51; p = 0.001). At multivariate analysis sarcosine was an independent prognostic factor of outcome in terms of overall and progression-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Serum sarcosine values were significantly increased in patients with metastatic disease. Moreover, this biomarker is a risk factor for progression and survival in chemotherapy-treated mCRPC patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency & Organ Transplantation, Urology, Andrology & Kidney Transplantation Unit Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy. giuseppe.lucarelli@inwind.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lucarelli
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ditonno
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bettocchi
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Spilotros
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rutigliano
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vavallo
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Galleggiante
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fanelli
authors.forename: Angela Maria Vittoria
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Larocca
authors.forename: Cinzia Annatea
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Germinario
authors.forename: Eugenio
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maiorano
authors.forename: Francesco Paolo
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Selvaggi
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Battaglia
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D002369:Castration; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D000077143:Docetaxel; D006801:Humans; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012521:Sarcosine / Q000097:blood*; D043823:Taxoids / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D043823:Taxoids; D000077143:Docetaxel; D012521:Sarcosine