PROSTATE CANCER FORUM 

Minerva Urologica e Nefrologica 2010 June;62(2):163-78

Copyright © 2010 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: Italian

Biomarker della neoplasia prostatica. Una review

Mearini E. ¹, Cottini E. ¹, Cochetti G. ¹, Antognelli C. ², Talesa V. ² ✉

¹ Chirurgia Urologica, Andrologica e Tecniche Mini-Invasive, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italia; ² Sezione di Biologia Cellulare e Molecolare, Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Scienze Biochimiche, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italia

Prostate cancer has the highest tumour incidence in the male population and represents 9.2% of cancer-related deaths. The most commonly used screening technique up to the present has been serum measurement of PSA which has led to a marked increase in the number of prostate cancer cases diagnosed every year. Nevertheless PSA in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer has many limitations. It can lead to a very high number of unnecessary biopsies in patients with benign prostate hyperplasia and, in addition, may also lead to an overdiagnosis and overtreatment of clinically insignificant neoplasias. Moreover many neoplasias are already present with PSA within normal limits. It is clear, therefore, that new biomarkers for the diagnosis and follow-up of prostate cancer have to be developed. We present a review of the literature in which we have analysed the most promising biomarkers in terms of sensitivity and diagnostic specificity for prostate cancer and which are currently under study, analysing recent developments and future prospects.