Prostate cancer patients relax - Personalised therapies can take care of the ailment

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New Delhi: As per a recent study, biomarker could lead to personalized therapies for prostate cancer which could in turn be beneficial for all the patients.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is one of the earliest ways clinicians can detect prostate cancers in their patients.

Sometimes, a high PSA level may be a sign of benign conditions such as inflammation; therefore, more reliable tests are under investigation to help urologists diagnose and treat the disease in an aging population.

Now, researchers at the University of Missouri have explored how a specific protein`s status may allow clinicians to better identify prostate cancer progression while helping them to make rational decisions in treating the disease.

"Our research is focused on finding genetic biomarkers that help identify prostate cancer patients at risk for more aggressive diseases as well as candidates who may have successful drug treatment or response," said principal investigator Senthil Kumar.

The team identified that the testis-specific Y-like protein (TSPYL5) varied between normal patients and tumor tissues with different Gleason scores (which can range from 2-10), a tool used by pathologists and urologists to categorize the stages of cancer.

This score can categorize patients based on disease aggressiveness, helping to define subsequent treatment options.

The multidisciplinary team, including members from the MU School of Medicine, collected human prostate cancer samples at various stages of the disease as described by the Gleason score.

The researchers discovered that TSPYL5 was present in the tissues with Gleason score of 7, but was diminished or absent in some patients with Gleason score of 7 and above, which could predict a more aggressive course of prostate cancer progression.

(With ANI inputs)