New tools for the diagnostics of prostate cancer
Part of SalWe’s Intelligent Monitoring Programme is the development of new markers and diagnostic tools that will identify prostate cancer. Research groups at the University of Helsinki and VTT Technical Research Centre are collaborating in the project.
Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer among men and afflicts one in seven. In the United States alone, a quarter of a million new prostate cancer cases are diagnosed annually. Today, early diagnosis is performed by testing for prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood. The 100 million PSA tests performed each year have a business value of about a billion dollars.
Ambiguous PSA test results
Prostate specific antigen is unique to the prostate gland and is not secreted by other tissues. However, because it originates from healthy as well as from cancerous prostate, diagnosing the disease by testing for PSA only is difficult.
Serum PSA can be elevated by prostate cancer but also by benign tumours and enlarged prostate. Moreover, PSA has poor predictive value during follow-up when tumours become resistant to hormone treatment. New biomarkers and diagnostic tools are needed to detect life-threatening types of cancer and minimise the over-diagnosis of prostate tumours that are clinically irrelevant.
New promising markers
The prostate marker research is being carried out by research groups at the University of Helsinki and VTT Technical Research Centre.
“In our previous studies we found promising markers for prostate cancer. We have also demonstrated that it is possible to detect mRNA markers in urinary cells and in paraffin-embedded tissue blocks,” says Kristina Hotakainen, Docent of the University of Helsinki, who is heading the research at the University.
“Using immunofluorometric analysis, we have measured the new markers in serum samples from hundreds of prostate cancer patients. The results of 1,200 samples collected in 1995–2005 show that the new markers can indicate the progress of the disease more effectively than PSA tests, and in earlier phase,” she adds.
“New technology has improved the measurement of the four selected analytes. According to the results the measurement range and the correlation between the methods used is good. We’ve also shown that the multiplex assay has the necessary precision and sensitivity,” says Harri Siitari, Senior Principal Scientist at VTT.
“The serum markers and new technology that we have tested can predict the advance of prostate cancer in a more effective way than PSA tests,” Harri Siitari adds.
The platform, the antibodies used and the measuring device are ready for commercial product development.
More information
Kristina Hotakainen
docent
University of Helsinki
kristina.hotakainen@helsinki.fi
+358 50 428 6392
Harri Siitari
senior principal scientist
VTT
harri.siitari@vtt.fi
+358 20 722 2832
