Molecular profiles of prostate cancer versus today’s diagnostic tools

Abstract

14659 Background: Tumor size, nodal status, the Gleason grading system and serum PSA values are today’s available prognostic tools of localized prostate cancer and the only help for adjuvant therapy. Based on the results of a feasibility study we continued the evaluation of the recently developed prognostic molecular signature. Methods: Of 60 CaP patients, who underwent primary prostatectomy in 2003 to 2005, fresh frozen samples of the tumor were asserved. The RNA extracted from cryocuts was tested. The quantitative RNA expression levels of 90 relevant genes involved in the different tumor hallmarks were simultaneously assessed. Results: Unsupervised agglomerative clustering of the obtained molecular profiles revealed different signatures. Correlations between these groups and the known TNM staging as well as Gleason scores were strongly present. Of interest was that all recurrences observed within this short period of time were found in a single cluster expressing higher levels of proliferation markers. Conclusions: The molecular profile of primary prostate cancer by quantitative RT-PCR is a powerful tool describing the biology of an individual tumor. Gene expression profiling can be precisely quantified and seems to be better reproducible than pathological judgments of the Gleason scores. Moreover, the gene panel is partially based on drug target genes and therefore of predictive value. Finally the method could be applied also in core biopsies. [Table: see text]