Plasma levels of E-cadherin and MMP-13 in prostate cancer patients: correlation with PSA, testosterone and pathological parameters.
OBJECTIVE
Prostate cancer is the most common malignant tumor in men. Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), Gleason score and clinical range at the time of diagnosis are important factors to predict prognosis and outcome after therapy but additional accurate and reliable biomarkers are still wanted. So far, few biomarkers of prostate cancer have been successfully implemented and are being used in clinical practice. However, modifications of E-cadherin and MMP-13 expression are likely to be involved in prostate cancer invasion and thus are potential biomarkers for prognosis.


METHODS
We analyzed the concentrations of E-cadherin and MMP-13 in plasma of patients with prostate cancer at diagnosis and 3 and 6 months after the beginning of treatment and related these measures to free and total PSA and other clinical features.


RESULTS
The concentration of E-cadherin was lower in patients with prostate cancer compared to the control group, but there was no difference in the concentration of MMP-13 between these two groups. During treatment, however, we found no significant differences between the concentrations of MMP-13 and E-cadherin, but we observed a significant positive correlation between total PSA and E-cadherin plasma concentration at the third month of treatment and between total testosterone and MMP-13 plasma concentration before the start of treatment.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that these parameters could be used both in the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer.
Department of Urology, ABC Medical School, Santo André, SP - Brazil.
Carolina M
CM
Bonaldi
Ligia A
LA
Azzalis
Virginia B C
VB
Junqueira
Claudia G B
CG
de Oliveira
Viviane A
VA
Vilas Boas
Thaís M
TM
Gáscon
Flávia S
FS
Gehrke
Renata K
RK
Kuniyoshi
Beatriz C A
BC
Alves
Fernando L A
FL
Fonseca
D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D015820:Cadherins / Q000097:blood*; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011379:Prognosis; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D015820:Cadherins; D013739:Testosterone; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen; D053509:Matrix Metalloproteinase 13