The potential of PAI-1 expression in needle biopsies as a predictive marker for prostate cancer

Abstract

The relative abundance of urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) in transurethral resections of the prostate (TURP) has been shown to correlate with disease state. The objective of this study was to assay for uPA and PAI-1 in prostate needle biopsies, and to test their potential as predictive markers for prostate cancer (PCa). uPA and PAI-1 levels were determined for 111 patients (55 PCa; 56 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH)), using the FEMTELLE enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assay. The PAI-1 concentrations for PCa and BPH patients differed significantly (p = 0.0403) and a level of ≥ 4.5 ng/mg protein in men 60 years and older appears to be predictive of PCa, with a sensitivity of 63%. uPA plays a minor role as a potential marker in biopsy tissue, a feature noted in our recent TURP tissue studies, and elsewhere. The potential utility of the uPA/PAI-1 ratio as a predictor of prostate disease, as previously suggested for TURP tissue, is not apparent in needle biopsy tissue. PAI-1 concentration in prostate biopsies could be a candidate marker for distinguishing between PCa and BPH in older patients.

Keywords

• prostate biopsies
• upa marker
• pai-1 marker
• prostate cancer
• benign prostatic hyperplasia