Diagnostic and prognostic molecular biomarkers for prostate cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most common malignant tumour in men and is a major research focus of pathologists, urologists and uro-oncologists alike. The pathologist is confronted with an increasing number of biospsies, necessitating ancillary tests in morphologically challenging cases. Next to basal cell markers, additional positive markers that aid in the differential diagnosis are presented here. The clinical decision of urologists, whom and how to treat these men, is dependent predominantly on pathological parameters, but still the grid spanned by these is too wide to allow a sufficient prognostication of the individual case. Here, a brief and critical overview is given of recent developments of prognostic biomarkers in prostate cancer.