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Predictive Value of Malignancy Index in Tumour Staging in Prostate Cancer

Background: A fine balance exists between the early treatment of a potentially lethal prostate disease and possible complications from the early treatment of a potentially indolent disease. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an indicator of disease progression and is used in the clinical staging of prostate cancer (PCa). Given the arsenal of staging methods available, some intrusive, some not, is there a future for biochemical staging? As the presence and stage of disease are influenced by multiple factors, it is conceivable that an effective biomarker for determining pathology and stage could require a convolution of more than one biochemical entity. In this study, the authors introduce a malignancy index capable of staging PCa and discriminating pathology from non–pathology, in three unmatched sample types.

Methods: Total protein measurement was by means of the Pierce Bicinchoninic acid protein assay. The total PSA concentrations were measured using a microparticle enzyme immune assay, and ELISAs confirmed the urokinase plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor–1 concentrations. The three markers (PSA, urokinase plasminogen activator, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 as well as patient age) were used in the formulation of a malignancy index (the degree of a person’s vulnerability to disease).

Results: The authors examined the robustness of their malignancy index in transurethral resection and biopsy tissue and plasma samples and proved that it discriminated PCa from non–PCa and was able to predict tumour stage.

Conclusions: The malignancy index in this preliminary research increases with disease stage (T1 through T4) and deserves some attention as a credible marker.