Ornithine decarboxylase activity in prostate cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa), the most common solid malignant neoplasm in men, is characterized using the Gleason score and diagnosed using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) biomarker. However, Gleason score and PSA-based diagnostics are not universal and have significant limitations. It is supposed that the ornithine decarboxylase activity (A_ODC) could be a suitable auxiliary biomarker for the PCa diagnosis or monitoring the therapeutic efficacy.

Aim: To assess the relation between A_ODC in PCa tissues and the level of serum PSA with the Gleason score (GS) and the clinical stage.

Materials and methods: 29 patients (48 to 79 years old) with prostate adenocarcinoma of different GS (6 to 10) and clinical stage (T1 to T4) were enrolled in the study. The A_ODC was analyzed in the PCa tissues by the modified spectrophotometric assay.

Results: The patients with PCa were distributed into two groups: with low A_ODC < 0.3 and high A_ODC > 0.45. In group with A_ODC < 0.3, the highest value of A_ODC was recorded in patients with the lowest GS (= 6), while in group with A_ODC > 0.45, the highest value of A_ODC was recorded in the patients with the highest GS (= 9-10). Furthermore, in group with A_ODC > 0.45, the highest value of A_ODC was registered in the patients with T1 or T4 stage. The highest levels of serum PSA were detected in T3-T4 cases and in cases with the highest GS.

Conclusion: The patterns of A_ODC and serum PSA can be used as supplementary indices useful for monitoring PCa course.