Prostate Cancer Detection by Molecular Urinalysis

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. The goal of this training grant is to develop urinary makers for prostate cancer detection and prognostication and to train two physicians in clinical research. In this year, we continue to evaluate the feasibility of detection of prostate cancer by molecular urinalysis. We have found HGF along with IL18Bpa were most increased in the prostatic fluids of patients with extensive disease compared to those with minimal disease. IL17, GITR, and ICAM-1 were elevated in prostatic fluid specimens with significant neutrophilic inflammation into gland lumina, and IL18Bpa, IL17, GITR, and ICAM-1 were elevated in specimens with significant lymphocytic inflammation in prostatic stroma. These prostatic fluid cytokines may be useful for early cancer detection and prognostication efforts and for assessment of prostatic inflammation, particularly if they can be found not only in prostatic fluids obtained ex vivo, but in expressed prostatic secretions or urine samples from men with prostates still in situ. In this direction, we have pursued the biology and relevance of two cytokines we found in prostate cancer secretions, endoglin and IL-18Bpa. Two manuscripts pertaining to these markers have been generated, one accepted and the other submitted for publication. In addition, we have continued to refine molecular urine cytology for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, with a manuscript in preparation.