Prediction of pelvic lymph node metastasis by the ratio of cathepsin B to stefin A in patients with prostate carcinoma.

Background: Pathologic grade and/or histologic score, extraprostatic extension indicated by invasion of the prostatic capsule, margin, and/or seminal vesicles by prostate cancer cells, serum total prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free PSA, complexed PSA levels and/or their ratios, regional pelvic lymph node metastases, and clinical staging have been used to diagnose and monitor the treatment of prostate carcinoma (PC) patients. The Gleason grading system is also used to grade/score a patient's stage of disease, with lower to higher scores indicating progression of PC. However, Gleason's system cannot be used to distinguish biologically aggressive PCs within a single Gleason score.