Prostate cancer: are new prognostic markers on the horizon?

Abstract

Current diagnostic methods in prostate cancer are lacking in their ability to predict individual patient outcome which highlights the need for more sensitive prognostic markers. Biological markers are seen as attractive and relevant candidates in current efforts to improve prognostic methods. Since metastasis is the most important component of cancer progression and mortality, markers which are able to predict the likely acquisition of the metastatic phenotype, before the onset of metastases, would be extremely useful clinically. This review outlines various metastasis suppressor genes and metastasis promoters which might have potential prognostic use in prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases (2000) 3, 62-65