Biomarker Panel Shows Promise for Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

Preliminary data on the development of a panel of biomarkers for the diagnosis of prostate cancer appears to be highly significant.

In a pilot study, a set of biomarkers was identified which can distinguish prostate cancer from control samples with both sensitivity and specificity far higher than existing diagnostic tests.

Oxford Gene Technology (OGT; Oxford, UK) developed the Sense Proteomic functional protein array platform, which uses over a thousand correctly folded proteins to detect autoantibodies in prostate cancer serum samples. Using data analysis strategies, the company identified panels of multiple biomarkers, which may have clinical utility in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Seventy-three prostate cancer and 60 control samples were used to identify a set of biomarkers, which can distinguish prostate cancer from control samples with both sensitivity and specificity above 90%-- a figure well above the standard for prostate specific antigen (PSA). The data were presented at the Fourth American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) International Conference: Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development, in Denver (CO, USA) during September 27-30, 2010.

Screening for prostate cancer using PSA is controversial as it has low specificity (generally less than 50%), which generates high false-positive rates, resulting in unnecessary surgical and radiotherapy procedures. The development of autoantibodies associated with prostate cancer, and their appearance prior to symptoms in other cancers, makes them attractive as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Dr. John Anson, OGT's vice president of biomarker discovery, said: "These initial data are very satisfying, so much so that we have already instigated a major follow-on clinical study involving 1800 samples to further develop and validate the biomarker panel.”

The new trial has been rigorously designed; it includes 400 prostate cancer samples and an equal number of matched normal samples, as well as around 150 samples of other cancers and several hundred samples from patients shown to have other diseases of the prostate. The latter can present similar symptoms to prostate cancer and can, in many cases, raise PSA levels and trigger a biopsy. OGT expects its biomarker panel to discriminate between prostate cancer and these other diseases.

Related Links:
Oxford Gene Technology
American Association for Cancer Research