α-Methylacyl Coenzyme A Racemase as a Tissue Biomarker for Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer affects 1 of 9 men older than 65 years and is a leading cause of cancer-related death in men, second only to lung cancer.^1,2 While the advent of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening has led to earlier detection of prostate cancer,³ the impact of PSA screening on cancer-specific mortality is unknown, pending the results of prospective randomized screening studies.^4-6 A major limitation of the serum PSA test is a lack of prostate cancer sensitivity and specificity, especially in the intermediate range of PSA detection (4-10 ng/mL). Coincident with increased serum PSA testing, there has been a significant increase both in the number of prostate needle biopsies performed⁷ and in the number of equivocal prostate needle biopsy specimens.⁸ Thus, development of additional serum and tissue biomarkers to supplement PSA screening is needed.