Protein Helps Predict Prostate Cancer Survival

A protein has been identified that is a strong indicator of survival for men with advanced prostate cancer. The C-reactive protein (CRP) is a special type of protein produced by the liver that is elevated in the presence of inflammation.

Cancer cells are known to cause an inflammatory response. This suggests that inflammation may play an important role in driving prostate cancer progression and resistance to therapy. Inflammatory cells are attracted to cancer sites and this local inflammation can lead to a release of inflammatory markers, like CRP.

Because this is the first time CRP has been linked with both response and survival in study subjects with advanced prostate cancer receiving chemotherapy, it will be important to confirm this finding in an independent data set before this can become a routine blood test for men with advanced prostate cancer.

The finding that higher CRP is associated with shorter survival and a lower probability of response to chemotherapy is a result of a secondary analysis of inflammatory markers in patients enrolled in the ASCENT study, a large phase 2 clinical trial that evaluated treatment with docetaxel and DN-101, a high dose formulation of calcitriol or docetaxel with placebo.

"While inflammation may sometimes slow the progression of the cancer, an increasing body of evidence suggests that cancer can actually take advantage of the inflammatory response, and the reaction of the immune system may fuel cancer progression. To the extent that our hypothesis proves true, C-reactive protein may be reflecting the overall intensity of the inflammation,” said Tomasz Beer, M.D., director of the Prostate Cancer Research Program at the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Cancer Institute (Portland, OR, USA), and associate professor of medicine (hematology/medical oncology), OHSU School of Medicine.

Prof. Beer's findings were published online in the journal Cancer on April 21, 2008.


Related Links:
Oregon Health and Science University Cancer Institute