What is molecular testing for prostate cancer?

What is molecular testing for prostate cancer?

You’ve got localized prostate cancer. Deciding on treatment is easy, right? Not always! Molecular biomarker tests – which look at biopsy tissue for many factors, including genetic mutations and expression of certain genes or proteins in the cancer – may provide extra guidance.

What genes are responsible for prostate cancer?

Inherited variants in particular genes, such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and HOXB13, account for some cases of hereditary prostate cancer. Men with variants in these genes have a high risk of developing prostate cancer and, in some cases, other cancers during their lifetimes.

What is the mechanism of prostate cancer?

Prostate cancer cells develop the ability to use low levels of androgen for survival by increased production of the androgen receptor (AR; usually by gene amplification), increased sensitivity of the androgen receptor to androgen, and by increased local conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone by 5α-reductase …

What is the most common histological type of prostate cancer?

Mixed ductal–acinar adenocarcinoma is more common than pure ductal adenocarcinoma, which accounts for only 0.2%–0.4% of prostatic carcinomas [1]. Ductal adenocarcinomas are frequently located in the periurethral area.

What biomarkers are used to detect prostate cancer?

Commercially available biomarkers such as PCA3 score, Prostate Health Index (PHI), and the four-kallikrein panel are used with the purpose of reducing the number of unnecessary biopsies and providing information related to the aggressiveness of the tumor.

What chemicals can cause prostate cancer?

The researchers say benzene, toluene, xylene and styrene – all of which are classified as monocyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – are all suspected or known carcinogens. They say their research is an important first step in better understanding the relationship between occupational agents and prostate cancer.

What kind of cancer is prostate cancer?

Almost all prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas. These cancers develop from the gland cells (the cells that make the prostate fluid that is added to the semen). Other types of cancer that can start in the prostate include: Small cell carcinomas.

What is the scientific name for prostate cancer?

In the prostate, adenocarcinoma is also called glandular prostate cancer. Symptoms of adenocarcinoma of the prostate may include a frequent urge to urinate, painful urination and ejaculation, and blood in the semen.

How is prostate cancer different from other cancers?

Prostate cancer is somewhat unusual when compared with other types of cancer. This is because many prostate tumors do not spread quickly to other parts of the body. Some prostate cancers grow very slowly and may not cause symptoms or problems for years or ever.

What is histological evidence of prostate cancer?

Histological features that have been considered specific for a diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma include extraprostatic spread of glands and, within the prostate, the findings of perineural invasion, collagenous micronodules, and glomeruloid intraglandular projections (Baisden et al.

What are the two biochemical markers used in the diagnosis of prostatic carcinoma?

Secretory markers (urine-based diagnostics) In particular, serum PSA levels between 2.5 and 10 ng/ml, and a low urinary PSA to serum PSA ratio are associated with prostate cancer.

What is PSA biomarker?

Abstract. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a serine protease produced by epithelial prostatic cells and its main function is to liquefy seminal coagulum. Currently, PSA is a biomarker for the diagnosis and screening of prostate cancer and it was the first cancer biomarker approved by the FDA.

What is the root cause of prostate cancer?

On a basic level, prostate cancer is caused by changes in the DNA of a normal prostate cell. DNA is the chemical in our cells that makes up our genes, which control how our cells function. We usually look like our parents because they are the source of our DNA. But DNA affects more than just how we look.

Can carcinogens cause prostate cancer?

Exposure to specific carcinogens has not been associated with risk of prostate cancer in humans, but several structurally diverse chemical carcinogens have caused prostate cancer in laboratory animals, mostly rats; this occurs if the carcinogens are metabolically activated in the prostate [42–45], if the prostate is …

What are the 4 types of prostate cancer?

Types of prostate cancer

• Small cell carcinomas.
• Neuroendocrine tumors (other than small cell carcinomas)
• Transitional cell carcinomas.
• Sarcomas.

Are there two types of prostate cancer?

Of the many types of prostate cancer, prostatic adenocarcinoma is by far the most common type and is diagnosed in up to 99 percent of prostatic cancer cases. It develops in the gland cells that make prostate fluid. Prostate cancer is second only to skin cancer as the most common cancer in men in the United States.

What is the role of oncogenes in prostate cancer?

One of the most commonly studied oncogene in prostate cancer pathogenesis is MYC, a regulator gene that codes for transcription factor. MYC is thought to regulate 15% of all genes in humans and is located in the human genome on chromosome 8q24 amplicon that is frequently amplified in prostate cancer patients.

Which genes are involved in the pathophysiology of prostate cancer?

Dasgupta S, Wasson LM, Rauniyar N, Prokai L, Borejdo J, Vishwanatha JK. Novel gene C17orf37 in 17q12 amplicon promotes migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells. Oncogene.

Are differentially expressed genes useful biomarkers for prostate cancer diagnosis?

Differentially expressed genes are predicted to play key roles in prostate cancer development and may also serve as clinically useful biomarker for early detection and diagnosis. Although large sets of genes have been identified, few have been characterized in the molecular progression of the disease.

Does insulin-like growth factor promote oncogenesis in prostate cancer?

One of the most studied growth factors in the process of promoting oncogenesis in prostate cancer is insulin-like growth factor (IGF).