Proteomics in prostate cancer biomarker discovery.

Despite advances in molecular medicine, genomics, proteomics and translational research, prostate cancer remains the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality for men in the Western world. Clearly, early detection, targeted treatment and post-treatment monitoring are vital tools to combat this disease. Tumor markers can be useful for diagnosis and early detection of cancer, assessment of prognosis, prediction of therapeutic effect and treatment monitoring.

New molecular biomarkers for the prognosis and management of prostate cancer--the post PSA era.

The widespread use of the PSA test has led to increased detection of the disease at earlier stages and a reduction in the number of patients where metastatic disease is found at diagnosis. However, there are significant limitations to the PSA test such as its lack of specificity, elevation in benign disease and failure to detect a significant number of PSA-negative tumours. Therefore, PSA is now commonly regarded as an indicator of prostate volume and is not independently diagnostic or prognostic in prostate cancer.