Abstract
Prostate cancer is among the most frequent cancers in men worldwide. Despite the fact that multiple therapeutic alternatives are available for its treatment, it is often discovered in an advanced stage as a metastatic disease. Prostate cancer screening is based on physical examination of prostate size and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level in the blood as well as biopsy in suspect cases. However, these markers often fail to correctly identify the presence of cancer, or their positivity might lead to overdiagnosis and consequent overtreatment of an otherwise silent non-progressing disease. Moreover, these markers have very limited if any predictive value regarding therapy response or individual risk for therapy-related toxicities. Therefore, novel, optimally liquid biopsy-based (blood-derived) markers or marker panels are needed, which have better prognostic and predictive value than the ones currently used in the everyday routine. In this review the role of circulating tumour cells, extracellular vesicles and their microRNA content, as well as cellular and soluble immunological and inflammation- related blood markers for prostate cancer diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of therapy response is discussed. A special emphasis is placed on markers predicting response to radiotherapy and radiotherapy-related late side effects.
Highlights
Overview of candidate candidate blood-based blood-based liquid liquid biopsy biopsy markers markers in in prostate prostate cancer cancer patients. This schematic picture summarizes the current knowledge on liquid biopsy analyses in prostate cancer focusing on circulating tumour cells (CTCs), immune cells and secreted factors such as tumour-derived cell-free circulating nucleic acids, cytokines and chemokines, as well as extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by prostate cancer cells, CTCs or various immune cells and their microRNA content
The high number of studies focusing on different cellular and secreted blood components as candidate liquid biopsy markers demonstrates the need for validated targets with prognostic and/or predictive value in screening prostate cancer patients
The following biomarker categories were the most successfully tested in prostate cancer: (a)
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Liquid biopsy investigations have received more and more attention This minimal invasive method enables us to study a wide array of blood-based cellular and secreted soluble or vesicular markers, which offer a complex, comprehensive and real-time information on tumour stage, progression, tumour micro- and macro-environment, J. This minimal invasive method enables us to study a wide array of blood-based cellular and secreted soluble or vesicular markers, which offer a complex, comprehensive and real-time information on tumour stage, progression, tumour micro- and macro-environment, including the integrity of the anti-tumour immune response. This schematic picture summarizes the current knowledge on liquid biopsy analyses in prostate cancer focusing on circulating tumour cells (CTCs), immune cells and secreted factors such as tumour-derived cell-free circulating nucleic acids, cytokines and chemokines, as well as EVs released by prostate cancer cells, CTCs or various immune cells and their microRNA (miRNA) content
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