Prostate-specific antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid: A marker of local disease

Abstract

Leptomeningeal involvement from prostate cancer is a rare complication with dismal prognosis. Prostate-specific antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid may be found elevated and can be used as a marker for local disease. We present the case of a patient with prostate cancer and leptomeningeal metastases who had high levels of prostate-specific antigen in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Leptomeningeal metastases from prostate cancer: an emerging clinical conundrum

“…Orphanos et al [22] described the case of a patient who responded to treatment with intrathecal methotrexate. Bernstein et al [17] have recently published a case report in which a patient with positive MRI findings had repeatedly negative CSF cytology.…”

Dural Metastases from Disseminated Prostate Cancer Clinically Mimicking a Benign Reactive Condition of the Dura: Case Report and Review of the Literature

“…Although PSA might be detectable in CSF in patients with intracranial metastases, the cytological detection of disseminated tumor cells appears to be a rare and inconstant finding in patients with intracranial dissemination of PC [11,12] . CSF examinations were not undertaken in the patient presented in our case report.…”

“…Until recently, PC has been regarded a chemotherapy-resistant disease. However, when reviewing the case reports on therapeutic options to be employed in PC with intracranial dissemination, randomized clinical trials disclosed that chemotherapy regimens containing docetaxel significantly increase overall survival in patients with castration resistant PC [7,11,12,[14][15][16][17][18] .…”

Advancements in diagnosis and treatment of meningeal carcinomatosis in solid cancer

“…[23,24] Other tumor markers such as carbohydrate antigen 15-3, carbohydrate antigen, carbohydrate antigen 125, carbohydrate antigen, neuron specific enolase, alfafetoprotein, CYFRA 21-1, and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) can be relatively specific for MC when increased in CSF compared to serum. [25][26][27] Combined assay of different markers may enhance the sensitivity of MC diagnosis. [26] Occasionally, the biomarkers provide diagnostic support for MC in cases suspected as MC with negative CSF cytology.…”