Biomarkers for prostate cancer detection.

Since its approval by the US FDA in 1986, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been employed to monitor men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer. In 1994, PSA was approved for use in prostate cancer screening and has been employed worldwide. However, due to the limited specificity of PSA for the disease, novel biomarkers are needed for detecting prostate cancer and for determining which cancers need to be treated.

The utility of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors in the prevention and diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Purpose Of Review: We examine the role of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors in prevention and diagnosis of prostate cancer, highlight the basic science supporting this role, and analyze the phase III clinical trials addressing the association between 5-alpha reductase inhibitor use and prostate cancer.

Recent Findings: To date, the Prostate Cancer Prevention trial (PCPT) is the only reported phase III randomized clinical trial to evaluate the role of 5-alpha reductase inhibitors in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer. The original PCPT data revealed that finasteride reduced the risk of prostate cancer by approximately 25% in comparison with placebo.

Surgical management of von Hippel-Lindau disease: urologic considerations.

Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease is an autosomal dominant inherited tumor syndrome in which a genetic defect in the VHL gene is located on chromosome 3p25. The urologic surgeon is an integral part of the management team for patients who have VHL disease, because patients frequently have multiple urologic tumors. This article presents a cumulative review of the literature regarding the diagnosis and management of urologic tumors in patients who have VHL disease, along with the latest data regarding the genetics and molecular mechanisms of VHL disease.

Total prostate specific antigen stability confirmed after long-term storage of serum at -80C.

Purpose: We characterized the long-term stability of total prostate specific antigen in serum samples after storage at -80C from 2001 until 2007.

Materials And Methods: From the San Antonio Biomarkers of Risk biorepository we chose serum samples from white men 55.2 to 80.