Relationship aggressiveness of prostate cancer with tumor-associated serum markers

Abstract

The content of lactoferrin (LF), C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), as well as Ca/Mg and CRP/albumin ratios in sera of patients with prostate cancer were analyzed in relation to the clinical and pathological features of the disease including the malignancy degree (Gleason score) and the presence of metastases to regional lymph nodes. In the serum of patients with stage III, LF content was lower (1.4 times) and CRP/albumin ratio <0.5 than in patients with stage II, while CRP content and Ca/Mg ratio increased (2.75 and 1.12 times, respectively). In addition, in patients with metastatic lesions of regional lymph nodes, a decrease in LF content (1.3-fold) and level of albumin (1.16-fold) and a simultaneous increase in CRP, Ca/Mg (2.84 and 1.1 times, respectively) and CRP/albumin ratios lower (<0.5) were evident. In serum of patients with tumors of high malignancy degree (8 and 9 points by Gleason score) and prostatespecific antigen (PSA) level exceeding 4 ng/ml, LF content and CRP/albumin ratio decreased whereas CRP content and Ca/Mg ratio were increased, LDH activity in serum of these patients also increased significantly. Therefore, some differences in metabolic pathways in patients with prostate cancer of highly aggressive course have been elucidated. Comparative study of the content of extratumoral serum PC markers (LF, PSA, albumin, LDH, Ca/Mg, CRP/albumin), depending on the clinical manifestations of the tumor process showed that serum LF can be used as an extratumoral marker, which provides new additional information on the features of the clinical course of the disease.