Prostate stem cell antigen mRNA in peripheral blood as a potential predictor of biochemical recurrence in high-risk prostate cancer.

Objective: To determine whether the presence of prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) mRNA in peripheral blood can predict biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical prostatectomy in patients with high-risk prostate cancer.

Methods: High-risk disease was defined based on the presence of any one of the following three risk factors: prostate-specific antigen (PSA) > or = 20 ng/ml, a biopsy Gleason score (GS) > or = 8, or clinical stage > or = T2c. Nested reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was employed to detect PSCA mRNA-bearing cells in peripheral blood.