[-2]Proenzyme prostate specific antigen is more accurate than total and free prostate specific antigen in differentiating prostate cancer from benign disease in a prospective prostate cancer screening study

Future aspects of plant derived bioactive metabolites as therapeutics to combat benign prostatic hyperplasia

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), characterized by prostate enlargement due to cell proliferation, is a common urinary disorder in men over 50, manifesting as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Currently, several therapeutic options are accessible for treating BPH, including medication therapy, surgery and watchful waiting. Conventional drugs such as finasteride and dutasteride are used as 5α-reductase inhibitors for the treatment of BPH. However long-term use of these drugs is restricted due to their unpleasant side effects. Despite the range of available medical therapies, the effective treatment against BPH is still inadequate. Certain therapeutic plants and their phytochemicals have the aforementioned goals and work by regulating this enzyme.

AIM OF THE STUDY

This review aims to provide a comprehensive insight to advancements in diagnosis of BPH, modern treatment methods and the significance of ethnobotanically relevant medicinal plants as alternative therapeutics for managing BPH.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A thorough and systematic literature search was performed using electronic databases and search engines such as PubMed, Web of Science, NCBI and SciFinder till October 2023. Specific keywords such as "benign prostatic hyperplasia", "medicinal plants", "phytochemicals", "pharmacology", "synergy", "ethnobotany", "5-alpha reductase", "alpha blocker" and "toxicology". By include these keywords, a thorough investigation of pertinent papers was assured, and important data about the many facets of BPH could be retrieved.

RESULTS

After conducting the above investigation, 104 herbal remedies were found to inhibit Phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibition, alpha-blockers, or 5α -reductase inhibition effects which are supported by in vitro, in vivo and clinical trial studies evidence. Of these, 89 plants have ethnobotanical significance as alpha-blockers, alpha-reductase inhibition, or PDE-5 inhibition, and the other fifteen plants were chosen based on their ability to reduce BPH risk factors. Several phytocompounds, including, rutaecarpine, vaccarin, rutin, kaempferol, β-sitosterol, quercetin, dicaffeoylquinic acid, rutaevin, and phytosterol-F have been reported to be useful for the management of BPH. The use of combination therapy offers a strong approach to treating long-term conditions compare to single plant extract drugs. Furthermore, several botanical combinations such as lycopene and curcumin, pumpkin seed oil and saw palmetto oil, combinations of extracts from Funtumia africana (Benth.) Stapf and Abutilon mauritianum (Jacq.) Medik., and Hypselodelphys poggeana (K.Schum.) Milne-Redh. and Spermacoce radiata (DC.) Sieber ex Hiern are also supported through in vitro and in vivo studies for managing BPH through recuperation in patients with chronic long-term illnesses, as measured by the International Prostate Symptom Score.

CONCLUSION

The review proposes and endorses careful utilization of conventional medications that may be investigated further to discover possible PDE-5, 5 alpha-reductase, an alpha-blocker inhibitor for managing BPH. Even though most conventional formulations, such as 5 alpha-reductase, are readily available, systemic assessment of the effectiveness and mechanism of action of the herbal constituents is still necessary to identify novel chemical moieties that can be further developed for maximum efficacy. However, there exist abundant botanicals and medicinal plants across several regions of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, which can be further studied and developed for utilization as a potential phytotherapeutic for the management of BPH.

Established and emerging liquid biomarkers for prostate cancer detection: A review

Prostate cancer remains one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers among men in the world today. Since its introduction in 1987 and FDA approval in 1994, prostate specific antigen (PSA) has reduced prostate cancer specific mortality considerably. However, the positive and negative predictive value of PSA is less than ideal and can lead to the over-detection of clinically insignificant prostate cancer. In the search for better screening measures to identify this cohort, liquid biomarkers for prostate cancer have emerged. In this review we will explore the commonly used urine and blood based prostate cancer liquid biomarkers. We detail the mechanism of each test and the validation studies that underscore their efficacy. Additionally, we will examine each test's effect on shared decision making as well as their cost efficacy in clinical practice.

Nomogram Using Prostate Health Index for Predicting Prostate Cancer in the Gray Zone: Prospective, Multicenter Study

PURPOSE

To create a nomogram that can predict the probability of prostate cancer using prostate health index (PHI) and clinical parameters of patients. And the optimal cut-off value of PHI for prostate cancer was also assessed.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A prospective, multi-center study was conducted. PHI was evaluated prior to biopsy in patients requiring prostate biopsy due to high prostate-specific antigen (PSA). Among screened 1,010 patients, 626 patients with clinically suspected prostate cancer with aged 40 to 85 years, and with PSA levels ranging from 2.5 to 10 ng/mL were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 626 patients, 38.82% (243/626) and 22.52% (141/626) were diagnosed with prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer, respectively. In the PSA 2.5 to 4 ng/mL group, the areas under the curve (AUCs) of the nomograms for overall prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer were 0.796 (0.727-0.866; p<0.001), and 0.697 (0.598-0.795; p=0.001), respectively. In the PSA 4 to 10 ng/mL group, the AUCs of nomograms for overall prostate cancer and clinically significant prostate cancer were 0.812 (0.783-0.842; p<0.001), and 0.839 (0.810-0.869; p<0.001), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Even though external validations are necessary, a nomogram using PHI might improve the prediction of prostate cancer, reducing the need for prostate biopsies.

Evaluating the Role of Morphological Parameters in the Prostate Transition Zone in PHI-Based Predictive Models for Detecting Gray Zone Prostate Cancer

Background

The early detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa) through the integration of multidimensional parameters presents a promising avenue for improving survival outcomes for this fatal disease. This study aimed to assess the contribution of prostate transition zone (TZ) to predictive models based on the prostate health index (PHI), with the goal of enhancing early detection of csPCa in the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) gray zone.

Methods

In this observational cross-sectional study, a total of 177 PSA gray zone patients (total prostate-specific antigen [tPSA] level ranging from 4.0 to 10.0 ng/mL) were recruited and received PHI detections from August 2020 to March 2022. Prostatic morphologies especially the TZ morphological parameters were measured by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS).

Results

Univariable logistic regression indicated prostatic morphological parameters including total prostate volume (PV) indexes and transitional zone volume indexes were all associated with csPCa (P < .05), while the multivariable analysis demonstrated that C-reactive protein (CRP), PHI, PHI density (PHID), and PHI transition zone density (PHI-TZD) were the 4 independent risk factors. The receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis suggested that integrated predictive models (PHID, PHI-TZD) yield area under the curves (AUCs) of 0.9135 and 0.9105 in csPCa prediction, which shows a relatively satisfactory predictive capability compared with other predictors. Moreover, the PHI-TZD outperformed PHID by avoiding 30 patients' unnecessary biopsies while maintaining 74.36% specificity at a sensitivity of 90%. Decision-curve analysis (DCA) confirmed the comparable performance of the multivariable full-risk prediction models, without the inclusion of the net benefit, thereby highlighting the superior diagnostic efficacy of PHID and PHI-TZD in comparison with other diagnostic models, in both univariable and multivariable models.

Conclusion

Our data confirmed the value of prostate TZ morphological parameters and suggested a significant advantage for the TZ-adjusted PHI predictive model (PHI-TZD) compared with PHI and PHID in the early detection of gray zone csPCa under specific conditions.

Comparison of Prostate-Specific Antigen and Its Density and Prostate Health Index and Its Density for Detection of Prostate Cancer

As the incidence of prostate cancer (PCa) has increased, screening based on prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has become controversial due to the low specificity of PSA. Therefore, we investigated the diagnostic performance of prostate health index (PHI) density (PHID) for the detection of PCa and clinically significant PCa (csPCa) compared to PSA, PSA density (PSAD), and PHI as a triaging test. We retrospectively reviewed 306 men who underwent prostate biopsy for PSA levels of 2.5 to 10 ng/mL between January 2020 and April 2023. Of all cohorts, 86 (28.1%) and 48 (15.7%) men were diagnosed with PCa and csPCa, respectively. In ROC analysis, the highest AUC was identified for PHID (0.812), followed by PHI (0.791), PSAD (0.650), and PSA (0.571) for PCa. A similar trend was observed for csPCa: PHID (AUC 0.826), PHI (AUC 0.796), PSAD (AUC 0.671), and PSA (0.552). When the biopsy was restricted to men with a PHID ≥ 0.56, 26.5% of unnecessary biopsies could be avoided; however, 9.3% of PCa cases and one csPCa case (2.1%) remained undiagnosed. At approximately 90% sensitivity for csPCa, at the given cut-off values of PHI ≥ 36.4, and PHID ≥ 0.91, 48.7% and 49.3% of unnecessary biopsies could be avoided. In conclusion, PHID had a small advantage over PHI, about 3.6%, for the reduction in unnecessary biopsies for PCa. The PHID and PHI showed almost the same diagnostic performance for csPCa detection. PHID can be used as a triaging test in a clinical setting to pre-select the risk of PCa and csPCa.

Re-evaluating the diagnostic efficacy of PSA as a referral test to detect clinically significant prostate cancer in contemporary MRI-based image-guided biopsy pathways

Introduction

Modern image-guided biopsy pathways at diagnostic centres have greatly refined the investigations of men referred with suspected prostate cancer. However, the referral criteria from primary care are still based on historical prostate-specific antigen (PSA) cut-offs and age-referenced thresholds. Here, we tested whether better contemporary pathways and biopsy methods had improved the predictive utility value of PSA referral thresholds.

Methods

PSA referral thresholds, age-referenced ranges and PSA density (PSAd) were assessed for positive predictive value (PPV) in detection of clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa - histological ⩾ Grade Group 2). Data were analysed from men referred to three diagnostics centres who used multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI)-guided prostate biopsies for disease characterisation. Findings were validated in a separate multicentre cohort. Results: Data from 2767 men were included in this study. The median age, PSA and PSAd were 66.4 years, 7.3 ng/mL and 0.1 ng/mL2, respectively. Biopsy detected csPCa was found in 38.7%. The overall area under the curve (AUC) for PSA was 0.68 which is similar to historical performance. A PSA threshold of ⩾ 3 ng/mL had a PPV of 40.3%, but this was age dependent (PPV: 24.8%, 32.7% and 56.8% in men 50-59 years, 60-69 years and ⩾ 70 years, respectively). Different PSA cut-offs and age-reference ranges failed to demonstrate better performance. PSAd demonstrated improved AUC (0.78 vs 0.68, p < 0.0001) and improved PPV compared to PSA. A PSAd of ⩾ 0.10 had a PPV of 48.2% and similar negative predictive value (NPV) to PSA ⩾ 3 ng/mL and out-performed PSA age-reference ranges. This improved performance was recapitulated in a separate multi-centre cohort (n = 541).

Conclusion

The introduction of MRI-based image-guided biopsy pathways does not appear to have altered PSA diagnostic test characteristics to positively detect csPCa. We find no added value to PSA age-referenced ranges, while PSAd offers better PPV and the potential for a single clinically useful threshold (⩾0.10) for all age groups.

Level of evidence

IV.

Capitalizing glycomic changes for improved biomarker-based cancer diagnostics

Cancer serum biomarkers are valuable or even indispensable for cancer diagnostics and/or monitoring and, currently, many cancer serum markers are routinely used in the clinic. Most of those markers are glycoproteins, carrying cancer-specific glycan structures that can provide extra-information for cancer monitoring. Nonetheless, in the majority of cases, this differential feature is not exploited and the corresponding analytical assays detect only the protein amount, disregarding the analysis of the aberrant glycoform. Two exceptions to this trend are the biomarkers α-fetoprotein (AFP) and cancer antigen 19-9 (CA19-9), which are clinically monitored for their cancer-related glycan changes, and only the AFP assay includes quantification of both the protein amount and the altered glycoform. This narrative review demonstrates, through several examples, the advantages of the combined quantification of protein cancer biomarkers and the respective glycoform analysis, which enable to yield the maximum information and overcome the weaknesses of each individual analysis. This strategy allows to achieve higher sensitivity and specificity in the detection of cancer, enhancing the diagnostic power of biomarker-based cancer detection tests.

Covariate-specific evaluation of continuous biomarker

Diagnostic tests usually need to operate at a high sensitivity or specificity level in practice. Accordingly, specificity at the controlled sensitivity, or vice versa, is a clinically sensible performance metric for evaluating continuous biomarkers. Meanwhile, the performance of a biomarker may vary across sub-populations as defined by covariates, and covariate-specific evaluation can be informative. In this article, we develop a novel modeling and estimation method for covariate-specific specificity at a controlled sensitivity level. Unlike existing methods which typically adopt elaborate models of covariate effects over the entire biomarker distribution, our approach models covariate effects locally at a specific sensitivity level of interest. We also extend our proposed model to handle the whole continuum of sensitivities via dynamic regression and derive covariate-specific ROC curves. We provide the variance estimation through bootstrapping. The asymptotic properties are established. We conduct extensive simulation studies to evaluate the performance of our proposed methods in comparison with existing methods, and further illustrate the applications in two clinical studies for aggressive prostate cancer.

Relationships between holmium laser enucleation of the prostate and prostate cancer

Holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) is a size-independent surgical option for treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) with excellent, durable functional outcomes. The prevalence of LUTS secondary to BPH and prostate cancer both increase with age, although the two diseases develop independently. Urologists often face a diagnostic dilemma, as men with LUTS secondary to BPH might also present with an elevated PSA and, therefore, need a diagnostic work-up to exclude prostate cancer. Nevertheless, ~15% of men with a negative elevated PSA work-up will undergo HoLEP and will be diagnosed with incidental prostate cancer at the time of HoLEP. Indeed, prostate cancer is often found in men undergoing HoLEP, and this situation can be challenging to manage. Variables associated with the detection of incidental prostate cancer, strategies to reduce incidental prostate cancer, as well as the natural history and management of this condition have been extensively studied, but further work in this area is still needed.

Utility of serum biomarkers for predicting cancer in patients with previous negative prostate biopsy

PURPOSE

To review the role of serum biomarkers: prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA density (PSAD), free:total PSA ratio, prostate health index (PHI) and PHI density (PHID), along with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for identification of clinically significant prostate cancer (PCa), comparing their utility in patients with persistently raised PSA levels after a prior negative prostate biopsy (PNB).

METHODS

In this single-centre prospective observational study conducted from September 2015 to October 2020, patients underwent a saturation biopsy via the transperineal route. If a Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PIRADS) 3 and above lesion was seen on MRI, targeted biopsies were also obtained. Information on clinical history, lesion characteristics, PIRADS classification and follow-up was collected. The sensitivity, specificity and area under curve (AUC) for each of the biomarkers were calculated.

RESULTS

351 men underwent saturation biopsy with or without targeted biopsies. 103 patients had a PNB. Among this PNB cohort, 43 (41.7%) men had a benign outcome, while 60 (58.3%) men had histopathologically diagnosed PCa, of which 41 (39%) were clinically significant. All patients underwent multiparametric MRI scans prior to biopsy. Within this cohort, PHI and PHID had the best abilities to predict for clinically significant PCa with an AUC of 0.73 and 0.70 respectively, compared to 0.65 for PSAD, 0.34 for free:total PSA and 0.56 for PSA.

CONCLUSION

A significant proportion of patients are diagnosed with PCa after a PNB. This study shows that PHI and PHI densities may be suitable adjuncts predicting for clinically significant PCa in patients with PNB.

Reclassification prediction of first-year protocol biopsy on active surveillance of prostate cancer by p2PSA-related parameters: from PRIAS-JAPAN

BACKGROUND

There is no useful predictive marker for reclassification on active surveillance. Thus, we aimed to investigate thresholds of [-2] proPSA (p2PSA)-related parameters to predict reclassification of the first-year protocol biopsy (1-year PBx) and evaluate the influence of clinical decision-making.

METHODS

This was an observational, prospective cohort study conducted at 19 Japanese institutes. The inclusion criteria included clinical stage T1c/T2, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels ≤10 ng/mL, PSA density <0.2 ng/ml/cc, one or two positive biopsy cores, and Gleason score (GS) ≤6 (GS ≦7 for patients aged ≥70 years) at diagnostic biopsy. All participants were required to receive a blood-sampling test on a protocol visit at inclusion and at the 1-year PBx. PSA and PSA isoforms (free PSA, p2PSA) were measured, and parameters (%free PSA, %p2PSA, phi) were calculated. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to predict the reclassification risk. To assess the predictive power and thresholds for reclassification, we plotted Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves. Decision curve analysis (DCA) was used to evaluate the variables that yielded a net clinical benefit.

RESULTS

A total of 135 patients were included, and 36 patients were reclassified on the 1-year PBx. Multivariate analyses showed that %p2PSA and phi at inclusion and p2PSA, %p2PSA, and phi before the 1-year PBx were significant predictors of reclassification at the 1-year PBx. The ROC analysis showed an optimal cutoff point, sensitivity, and specificity of %p2PSA and phi before the 1-year PBx of 1.64, 86%, 49% and 35.92, 89%, 47%, respectively. The DCA showed that phi before the 1-year PBx had the highest net benefit. The study limitation was its single-arm observational design.

CONCLUSIONS

%p2PSA and phi before the 1-year PBx had a good prediction power. phi is the most useful indicator for clinical decision-making on active surveillance.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This study is registered atthe Japan Trial Register with ID UMIN000009876 ( https://upload.umin.ac.jp/cgi-open-bin/ctr_e/ctr_view.cgi?recptno=R000011573 ).

Prostate Health Index Density Outperforms Prostate Health Index in Clinically Significant Prostate Cancer Detection

Background

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is considered neither sensitive nor specific for prostate cancer (PCa). We aimed to compare total PSA (tPSA), percentage of free PSA (%fPSA), the PSA density (PSAD), Prostate Health Index (PHI), and the PHI density (PHID) to see which one could best predict clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa): a potentially lethal disease.

Methods

A total of 412 men with PSA of 2-20 ng/mL were prospectively included. Serum biomarkers for PCa was collected before transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy. PHI was calculated by the formula: (p2PSA/fPSA) x √tPSA. PHID was calculated as PHI divided by prostate volume measured by transrectal ultrasound.

Results

Of the 412 men, 134 (32.5%) and 94(22.8%) were diagnosed with PCa and csPCa, respectively. We used the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and decision curve analyses (DCA) to compare the performance of PSA related parameters, PHI and PHID in diagnosing csPCa. AUC for tPSA, %fPSA, %p2PSA, PSAD, PHI and PHID were 0.56、0.63、0.76、0.74、0.77 and 0.82 respectively for csPCa detection. In the univariate analysis, the prostate volume, tPSA, %fPSA, %p2PSA, PHI, PSAD, and PHID were all significantly associated with csPCa, and PHID was the most important predictor (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.15-1.72). Besides, The AUC of PHID was significantly larger than PHI in csPCa diagnosis (p=0.004). At 90% sensitivity, PHID had the highest specificity (54.1%) for csPCa and could reduce the most unnecessary biopsies (43.7%) and miss the fewest csPCa (8.5%) when PHID ≥ 0.67. In addition to AUC, DCA re-confirmed the clinical benefit of PHID over all PSA-related parameters and PHI in csPCa diagnosis. The PHID cut-off value was positively correlated with the csPCa ratio in the PHID risk table, which is useful for evaluating csPCa risk in a clinical setting.

Conclusion

The PHID is an excellent predictor of csPCa. The PHID risk table may be used in standard clinical practice to pre-select men at the highest risk of harboring csPCa.

Robust and flexible inference for the covariate-specific receiver operating characteristic curve

Diagnostic tests are of critical importance in health care and medical research. Motivated by the impact that atypical and outlying test outcomes might have on the assessment of the discriminatory ability of a diagnostic test, we develop a robust and flexible model for conducting inference about the covariate-specific receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve that safeguards against outlying test results while also accommodating for possible nonlinear effects of the covariates. Specifically, we postulate a location-scale regression model for the test outcomes in both the diseased and nondiseased populations, combining additive regression B-splines and M-estimation for the regression function, while the distribution of the error term is estimated via a weighted empirical distribution function of the standardized residuals. The results of the simulation study show that our approach successfully recovers the true covariate-specific area under the ROC curve on a variety of conceivable test outcomes contamination scenarios. Our method is applied to a dataset derived from a prostate cancer study where we seek to assess the ability of the Prostate Health Index to discriminate between men with and without Gleason 7 or above prostate cancer, and if and how such discriminatory capacity changes with age.

Blood and urine biomarkers in prostate cancer: Are we ready for reflex testing in men with an elevated prostate-specific antigen?

Objective

There is no consensus on the role of biomarkers in determining the utility of prostate biopsy in men with elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA). There are numerous biomarkers such as prostate health index, 4Kscore, prostate cancer antigen 3, ExoDX, SelectMDx, and Mi-Prostate Score that may be useful in this decision-making process. However, it is unclear whether any of these tests are accurate and cost-effective enough to warrant being a widespread reflex test following an elevated PSA. Our goal was to report on the clinical utility of these blood and urine biomarkers in prostate cancer screening.

Methods

We performed a systematic review of studies published between January 2000 and October 2020 to report the available parameters and cost-effectiveness of the aforementioned diagnostic tests. We focus on the negative predictive value, the area under the curve, and the decision curve analysis in comparing reflexive tests due to their relevance in evaluating diagnostic screening tests.

Results

Overall, the biomarkers are roughly equivalent in predictive accuracy. Each test has additional clinical utility to the current diagnostic standard of care, but the added benefit is not substantial to justify using the test reflexively after an elevated PSA.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest these biomarkers should not be used in binary fashion and should be understood in the context of pre-existing risk predictors, patient's ethnicity, cost of the test, patient life-expectancy, and patient goals. There are more recent diagnostic tools such as multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging, polygenic single-nucleotide panels, IsoPSA, and miR Sentinel tests that are promising in the realm of prostate cancer screening and need to be investigated further to be considered a consensus reflexive test in the setting of prostate cancer screening.

Tumour markers of prostate cancer: The post-PSA era

Although PSA-based prostate cancer (PCa) screening had a positive impact in reducing PCa mortality, it also led to overdiagnosis, overtreatment and to a significant number of unnecessary biopsies. In the post-PSA era, new biomarkers have emerged that can complement the information given by PSA, towards a better cancer diagnostic specificity, and also allow a better estimate of the aggressiveness of the disease and its clinical outcome. That means those markers have the potential to assist the clinician in the decision-making processes, such as whether or not to perform a biopsy, and to make the best treatment choice among the new therapeutic options available, including active surveillance (AS) in lower risk disease. In this article, we will review several of those more recent diagnostic markers (4Kscore®, [-2]proPSA and Prostate Health Index (PHI), SelectMDx®, ConfirmMDx®, Progensa® Prostate Cancer Antigen 3, Mi-Prostate Score, ExoDx™ Prostate Test, the Stockholm-3 test and ERSPC risk calculators) and prognostic markers (OncotypeDX® Genomic Prostate Score, Prolaris®, Decipher® and ProMark®). We will also address some new liquid biopsy approaches - circulating tumour cells and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) - with a potential role in metastatic castration-resistant PCa and will briefly give some future perspectives, mostly outlooking epigenetic markers.

The prostate health index and the percentage of [-2]proPSA maintain their diagnostic performance when calculated with total and free PSA from different manufacturers

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the diagnostic performance of the prostate health index (PHI) and of the percentage of [-2]proPSA (%[-2]proPSA) calculated with total and free PSA from non-Beckman Coulter manufacturers (Roche and Abbott), and compare it with the fully Beckman Coulter [-2]proPSA derivatives.

METHODS

In this study, 237 men (PSA: 2-10 μg/L) scheduled for prostate biopsy were enrolled. %[-2]proPSA and PHI were calculated with total and free PSA from three manufacturers. Beckman Coulter PSA and [-2]proPSA were performed on the Access 2 analyzer (Hybritech calibration). Roche PSA was performed on the cobas e411 and the Abbott PSA on the Architect i2000sr. Statistical analysis was performed, considering prostate cancer (PCa) as the outcome.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis showed that all indices were predictors of cancer, irrespective of the manufacturer (p<0.001). The AUC was similar for all manufacturers, both for %[-2]proPSA (Beckman Coulter: 0.756; Roche: 0.770; Abbott: 0.756) and PHI (Beckman Coulter: 0.776; Roche: 0.785; Abbott: 0.778). When considering the cutoffs that allowed 90% sensitivity, [-2]proPSA derivatives calculated with Roche and Abbott PSA had similar specificities and predictive values when compared to Beckman Coulter. The percentage of missed cancers (8-9%) was the same between manufacturers. The percentage of spared biopsies was significantly higher with Roche's PHI (21.0%) and Abbott's PHI (20.6%) than with Beckman Coulter's PHI (17.2%).

CONCLUSIONS

In the PSA range between 2 and 10 μg/L, [-2]proPSA derivatives maintain their diagnostic performance in PCa detection when calculated with PSA from Roche and Abbott. This can lead to a broader implementation of these indices in clinical laboratories worldwide.

The prostate health index (PHI) density: Are there advantages over PHI or over the prostate-specific antigen density?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Overdiagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) should be minimized. We wanted to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the prostate health index density (PHID) and compare it with that of the prostate health index (PHI) alone and of the prostate-specific antigen density (PSAD).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

232 men scheduled for a prostate biopsy (prostate-specific antigen level: 2-10 µg/L), were enrolled. PHI, PHID and PSAD were evaluated considering PCa and clinically significant PCa (csPCa) as the outcomes.

RESULTS

For PCa, the area under the curve (AUC) was higher for PHID (0.823) than for PHI (0.779) and PSAD (0.776). For csPCa, the AUC was also higher for PHID (0.851) but closer to that of PSAD (0.819) and PHI (0.813). For equal sensitivities (90%) for PCa, PHID and PSAD offered the highest specificities (37%), missing the same number of cancers (n = 11). Considering csPCa, PHI and PHID had similar specificities. PSAD reached the highest specificity (50.0%), sparing 32.8% of biopsies, while missing 9 cases of csPCa.

CONCLUSIONS

PHID has a better diagnostic performance than PHI for overall PCa detection, but very close to the PSAD performance. Considering csPCa, PHI and PHID perform almost equally, but PSAD has a better diagnostic performance.

Diagnostic accuracy of [-2]proPSA versus Gleason score and Prostate Health Index versus Gleason score for the determination of aggressive prostate cancer: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this review was to determine the diagnostic accuracy of [-2]proPSA (p2PSA) and the Prostate Health Index compared to the Gleason score in determining the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

INTRODUCTION

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. However, the utility of currently available biomarkers for determining the aggressive form of the disease remains unknown. This review sought to determine the diagnostic accuracy of two new biomarkers in determining the aggressive form of prostate cancer.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

Diagnostic accuracy studies that enrolled men of any age and any prostate specific antigen (PSA) level with histologically confirmed prostate cancer in which Prostate Health Index and p2PSA were assessed in comparison to Gleason score for the determination of aggressive prostate cancer were considered for inclusion. There was no time limitation on study inclusion.

METHODS

A three-step search strategy was utilized to identify both published and unpublished studies in the English language in the following sources: PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, Web of Science, Google Scholar, MedNar, and SIGLE. Databases were searched from inception to January 2019. Study selection, critical appraisal, data extraction, and data synthesis were done according to the approach recommended by JBI.

RESULTS

A total of 12 studies (n = 8462) that recruited men with aggressive prostate cancer were considered in this review. The majority of included subjects had a total PSA level of 2 to 10ng/mL. The sensitivity of the Prostate Health Index ranged from 67% to 97% while specificity ranged from 6% to 64%. At a Prostate Health Index threshold of 25 and below (three studies, n = 3222), pooled sensitivity was 97% (95% confidence interval [CI], 95% to 98%) and specificity was 10% (95% CI, 6% to 16%). At a Prostate Health Index threshold of between 26 and 35 (six studies, n = 6030), pooled sensitivity was 87% (95% CI, 8% to 91%) and specificity was 45% (95% CI, 39% to 50%). At a Prostate Health Index threshold of 36 and above (five studies, n = 1476), pooled sensitivity was 72% (95% CI, 64% to 79%) and specificity was 74% (95% CI, 68% to 80%). Only one study assessed p2PSA. Sensitivity ranged from 80% to 95%, and specificity ranged from 9.9% to 27.9% with increasing threshold values from 7.9 to 10.9ng/mL.

CONCLUSIONS

Overall, both Prostate Health Index and p2PSA have acceptable accuracy for the determination of the likelihood of aggressive prostate cancer. However, the inverse relationship between sensitivity and specificity makes it difficult to determine an optimum cut-off value for positivity. Further research is warranted to determine their utility in the management of prostate cancer.

Prognostic Value of Genes and Immune Infiltration in Prostate Tumor Microenvironment

Background

Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common cancers and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in men. Immune responses in the tumor microenvironment are hypothesized to be related to the prognosis of PCa patients; however, no studies are available to confirm the same. In this study, we aimed to explore the potential link between these two factors and identify new biomarkers to estimate the survival rate of PCa patients.

Methods

A total of 490 cases were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. The gene expression data were analyzed by the ESTIMATE algorithm to evaluate the immune and stromal scores. The survival rate was calculated according to the case-specific clinical data. Enrichment analysis was performed to discover the main biological processes and signaling pathways of immune responses. We further identified and analyzed hub genes in the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and evaluated their prognostic values.

Results

Immune score significantly correlated with immune cell infiltration and overall survival of PCa patients. The genes CXCR4 and GPR183, identified as hub genes in the PPI network, correlated with immune cell infiltration and prognosis of PCa patients.

Conclusion

CXCR4 and GPR183 participate in immune cell infiltration and function in PCa patients. The immune score, as well as the expression of CXCR4 and GPR183 in prostate cancer tissues, could be potential indexes for the prognosis of prostate cancer.

The predictive value of the prostate health index vs. multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging for prostate cancer diagnosis in prostate biopsy

PURPOSE

To compare the ability of Prostate Health Index (PHI) to diagnose csPCa, with that of total PSA, PSA density (PSAD) and the multiparametric magnetic resonance (mpMRI) of the prostate.

METHODS

We analysed a group of 395 men planned for a prostate biopsy who underwent a mpMRI of the prostate evaluated using the PIRADS v1 criteria. All patients had their PHI measured before prostate biopsy. In patients with an mpMRI suspicious lesions, an mpMRI/ultrasound software fusion-guided biopsy was performed first, with 12 core systematic biopsy performed in all patients. A ROC analysis was performed for PCa detection for total PSA, PSAD, PIRADS score and PHI; with an AUC curve calculated for all criteria and a combination of PIRADS score and PHI. Subsequent sub-analyses included patients undergoing first and repeat biopsy.

RESULTS

The AUC for predicting the presence of csPCa in all patients was 59.5 for total PSA, 69.7 for PHI, 64.9 for PSAD and 62.5 for PIRADS. In biopsy naive patients it was 61.6 for total PSA, 68.9 for PHI, 64.6 for PSAD and 63.1 for PIRADS. In patients with previous negative biopsy the AUC for total PSA, PHI, PSAD and PIRADS was 55.4, 71.2, 64.4 and 69.3, respectively. Adding of PHI to PIRADS increased significantly (p = 0.007) the accuracy for prediction of csPCa.

CONCLUSION

Prostate Health Index could serve as a tool in predicting csPCa. When compared to the mpMRI, it shows comparable results. The PHI cannot, however, help us guide prostate biopsies in any way, and its main use may, therefore, be in pre-MRI or pre-biopsy triage.

Prediction models for prostate cancer to be used in the primary care setting: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

To identify risk prediction models for prostate cancer (PCa) that can be used in the primary care and community health settings.

DESIGN

Systematic review.

DATA SOURCES

MEDLINE and Embase databases combined from inception and up to the end of January 2019.

ELIGIBILITY

Studies were included based on satisfying all the following criteria: (i) presenting an evaluation of PCa risk at initial biopsy in patients with no history of PCa, (ii) studies not incorporating an invasive clinical assessment or expensive biomarker/genetic tests, (iii) inclusion of at least two variables with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) being one of them, and (iv) studies reporting a measure of predictive performance. The quality of the studies and risk of bias was assessed by using the Prediction model Risk Of Bias ASsessment Tool (PROBAST).

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Relevant information extracted for each model included: the year of publication, source of data, type of model, number of patients, country, age, PSA range, mean/median PSA, other variables included in the model, number of biopsy cores to assess outcomes, study endpoint(s), cancer detection, model validation and model performance.

RESULTS

An initial search yielded 109 potential studies, of which five met the set criteria. Four studies were cohort-based and one was a case-control study. PCa detection rate was between 20.6% and 55.8%. Area under the curve (AUC) was reported in four studies and ranged from 0.65 to 0.75. All models showed significant improvement in predicting PCa compared with being based on PSA alone. The difference in AUC between extended models and PSA alone was between 0.06 and 0.21.

CONCLUSION

Only a few PCa risk prediction models have the potential to be readily used in the primary healthcare or community health setting. Further studies are needed to investigate other potential variables that could be integrated into models to improve their clinical utility for PCa testing in a community setting.

Identification of genetic biomarkers in urine for early detection of prostate cancer

Prostate cancer screening is a challenging and vital issue in the aspects of the current tests and risk assessments. Prostate cancer risk assessments are currently carried out by using blood, urine and tissue biomarkers with radiological imaging methods. Here, we introduce a novel noninvasive screening tool for a further in-depth selection of eligible cases for prostate biopsies which is based on sequencing somatic and hereditary HOXB13 mutations in urine samples. This approach provides diagnostic information to the physician about the presence of prostate cancer while aiming to screen for specific prostate biopsies and save biopsies potentially when there are no mutations related to prostate cancer. Findings suggest that this method is reliable, cost-effective, and has a promising potential in prostate cancer screening.

Biomarkers That Differentiate Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia from Prostate Cancer: A Literature Review

Prediction of prostate cancer in primary care is typically based upon serum total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) and digital rectal examination results. However, these tests lack sensitivity and specificity, leading to over-diagnosis of disease and unnecessary, invasive biopsies. Therefore, there is a clinical need for diagnostic tests that can differentiate between benign conditions and early-stage malignant disease in the prostate. In this review, we evaluate research papers published from 2009 to 2019 reporting biomarkers that identified or differentiated benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) from prostate cancer. Our review identifies hundreds of potential biomarkers in urine, serum, tissue, and semen proposed as useful targets for differentiating between prostate cancer and BPH patients. However, it is still not apparent which of these candidate biomarkers are most useful, and many will not progress beyond the discovery stage unless they are properly validated for clinical practice. We conclude that this validation will come through the use of multivariate panels which can assess the value of biomarker candidates in combination with clinical parameters as part of a risk prediction calculator. Implementation of such a model will help clinicians stratify patients with prostate cancer symptoms in primary care, with tangible benefits for both the patient and the health service.

Prostate health index density predicts aggressive pathological outcomes after radical prostatectomy in Taiwanese patients

BACKGROUND

There are models to predict pathological outcomes based on established clinical and prostate-specific antigen (PSA)-derived parameters; however, they are not satisfactory. p2PSA and its derived biomarkers have shown promise for the diagnosis and prognosis of prostate cancer (PCa). The aim of this study was to investigate whether p2PSA-derived biomarkers can assist in the prediction of aggressive pathological outcomes after radical prostatectomy (RP).

METHODS

We prospectively enrolled patients who were diagnosed with PCa and treated with RP between February 2017 and December 2018. Preoperative blood samples were analyzed for tPSA, free PSA (fPSA), percentage of fPSA (%fPSA), [-2]proPSA (p2PSA), and percentage of p2PSA (%p2PSA). Prostate health index (PHI) was calculated as (p2PSA/fPSA) × √tPSA. Prostate volume was determined by transrectal ultrasound using the ellipsoid formula, and PHI density was calculated as PHI/prostate volume. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were estimated for various PSA/p2PSA derivatives. Aggressive pathological outcomes measured after RP were defined as pathological T3 or a Gleason score (GS) >6 as determined in RP specimens.

RESULTS

One hundred and forty-four patients were included for analysis. Postoperative GS was >6 in 86.1% of the patients, and pT stage was T3a or more in 54.2%. Among all PSA- and p2PSA-derived biomarkers, PHI density was the best biomarker to predict aggressive pathological outcomes after RP. The odds ratio of having an aggressive pathological outcome of RP was 8.796 (p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, adding %fPSA to base model did not improve the accuracy (area under curve), but adding PHI and PHI density to base model improved the accuracy by 2% and 16%, respectively, in predicting pT3 stage or GS ≥ 7. The risk of pT3 stage or GS ≥ 7 was 20.8% for PHI density <1.125, and 64.6% for PHI density >1.125 (sensitivity: 74.6% and specificity: 88.9%).

CONCLUSION

PHI density may further aid in predicting aggressive pathological outcomes after RP. This biomarker may be useful in preoperative counseling and may have potential in decision making when choosing between definitive treatment and active surveillance of newly diagnosed PCa.

Assessment on clinical value of prostate health index in the diagnosis of prostate cancer

In this study, we performed a comprehensive estimation and assessment for the clinical value of prostate health index (PHI) in diagnosing prostate cancer. Using the bivariate mixed-effect model, we calculated the following parameters and their 95% confidence internals (CIs), including sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio and symmetric receiver operator characteristic. Twenty eligible studies with a total number of 5543 subjects were included in the final analysis. The estimated sensitivity was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.70-0.79) and the specificity was 0.69 (95% CI: 0.58-0.83). The pooled area under the curve was 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74-0.81). The combined positive likelihood ratio was 2.45 (95% CI: 2.19-2.73) and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.36 (95% CI: 0.31-0.43). The diagnostic odds ratio was 6.73 (95% CI: 5.38-8.44). The posttest probability was 40% under the present positive likelihood ratio of 2.45. It seems there was no significant difference between Asian population and Caucasian population population in sensitivity and specificity. But the overlap of AUC 95% CI indicated that the diagnostic accuracy of PHI was slightly higher in the Asian population population setting than that in the Caucasian population population population (0.83 vs 0.76). Similarly, there was also overlap in AUC 95% CI, which suggested that sample size may be one of heterogeneity source. The PHI has a moderate diagnostic accuracy for detecting prostate cancer. The discrimination ability of PHI is slightly prior to free/total prostate-specific antigen. It seems that ethnicity has an influence on the clinical value of PHI in the diagnostic of prostate cancer.

Novel Diagnostic Biomarkers of Prostate Cancer: An Update

OBJECTIVE

In recent years, several biomarkers alternative to standard prostate specific antigen (PSA) for prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis have become available. The aim of this systematic review is to assess the current knowledge about alternative serum and urinary biomarkers for the diagnosis of PCa.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A research was conducted in Medline, restricted to English language articles published between December 2014 and June 2018 with the aim to update previously published series on PCa biomarkers. The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) criteria were used for selecting studies with the lowest risk of bias.

RESULTS

Emerging role and actual controversies on serum and urine alternative biomarkers to standard PSA for PCa diagnosis, staging and prognosis assessment, such as prostate health index (PHI), PCA3, ConfirmMDx, Aberrant PSA glycosylation, MiPS, miRNAs are critically presented in the current review.

CONCLUSION

Although the use of several biomarkers has been recommended or questioned by different international guidelines, larger prospective randomized studies are still necessary to validate their efficacy in PCa detection, discrimination, prognosis and treatment effectiveness. To date, only PHI and 4Kscore have shown clinical relevance for discriminating more aggressive PCa. Furthermore, a new grading classification based on molecular features relevant for PCa risk-stratification and tailoring treatment is still needed.

Economic evaluation of the introduction of the Prostate Health Index as a rule-out test to avoid unnecessary biopsies in men with prostate specific antigen levels of 4-10 in Hong Kong

A recent study showed that the Prostate Health Index may avoid unnecessary biopsies in men with prostate specific antigen 4-10ng/ml and normal digital rectal examination in the diagnosis of prostate cancer in Hong Kong. This study aimed to conduct an economic evaluation of the impact of adopting this commercially-available test in the Hong Kong public health service to determine whether further research is justified. A cost-consequence analysis was undertaken comparing the current diagnostic pathway with a proposed diagnostic pathway using the Prostate Health Index. Data for the model was taken from a prospective cohort study recruited at a single-institution and micro-costing studies. Using a cut off PHI score of 35 to avoid biopsy would cost HK$3,000 and save HK$7,988 per patient in biopsy costs and HK$511 from a reduction in biopsy-related adverse events. The net cost impact of the change was estimated to be HK$5,500 under base case assumptions. At the base case sensitivity and specificity for all grades of cancer (61.3% and 77.5% respectively) all grade cancer could be missed in 4.22% of the population and high grade cancer in 0.53%. The introduction of the prostate health index into the diagnostic pathway for prostate cancer in Hong Kong has the potential to reduce biopsies, biopsy costs and biopsy-related adverse events. Policy makers should consider the clinical and economic impact of this proposal.

Liquid Biopsy Potential Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men worldwide with an incidence of 14.8% and a mortality of 6.6%. Shortcomings in comprehensive medical check-ups in low- and middle-income countries lead to delayed detection of PCa and are causative of high numbers of advanced PCa cases at first diagnosis. The performance of available biomarkers is still insufficient and limited applicability, including logistical and financial burdens, impedes comprehensive implementation into health care systems. There is broad agreement on the need of new biomarkers to improve (i) early detection of PCa, (ii) risk stratification, (iii) prognosis, and (iv) treatment monitoring. This review focuses on liquid biopsy tests distinguishing high-grade significant (Gleason score (GS) ≥ 7) from low-grade indolent PCa. Available biomarkers still lack performance in risk stratification of biopsy naïve patients. However, biomarkers with highly negative predictive values may help to reduce unnecessary biopsies. Risk calculators using integrative scoring systems clearly improve decision-making for invasive prostate biopsy. Emerging biomarkers have the potential to substitute PSA and improve the overall performance of risk calculators. Until then, PSA should be used and may be replaced whenever enough evidence has accumulated for better performance of a new biomarker.

[What primary care physicians should know about new markers in prostate cancer]

The use of prostate-specific antigen as a diagnostic tool in the screening of prostate cancer is reflected in an increase in the incidence, an increase in diagnosis at initial stages, and an increase in radical therapies, even at the expense of over-treatment in some cases. It is known from the data collected in the literature that not every patient with high prostate-specific antigen needs a biopsy, and that not every patient diagnosed with prostate cancer needs treatment. With the new emerging prostate markers, we will try to improve the specificity of prostate-specific antigen in the grey area (4-10 ng/ml) should be improved. This should avoid unnecessary biopsies. The sensitivity in the detection of significant prostate cancer with low prostate-specific antigen should also be improved in an attempt to reduce the risk of over-treatment. On the other hand, prognostic biomarkers with genomic tests will help to choose the best therapeutic option for the patient.

Cost analysis of prostate cancer detection including the prostate health index (phi)

OBJECTIVE

To assess the economic impact of introducing the prostate health index (phi) for prostate cancer (PCa) detection.

METHODS

A total of 177 patients who presented in an academic institution with a tPSA between 2 and 10 ng/ml and underwent prostate biopsies within the 3 months were enrolled. With phi and tPSA thresholds of 43 and 4 ng/ml, respectively, probability for each branch of a decision tree model for PCa diagnosis and corresponding mean cost were estimated with "Monte Carlo" simulations. A sensitivity analysis was performed.

RESULTS

With a similar sensitivity, phi strategy increased positive predictive value by 13.9 points and negative predictive value by 31.6 points in comparison to tPSA strategy. Mean costs per patient with tPSA and phi strategies were €514 and €528, respectively, for a phi test price at 50€. One-way sensitivity analysis showed that phi strategy was less expensive (508€/patient) than tPSA strategy with a phi test price below 30€. In multi-criteria sensitivity analysis, PPV and the rates of positive phi and tPSA were the parameters with the largest impact on the final cost as opposed to the cost of the biopsy or imaging which have less influence. With an expected rate of positive phi test < 60%, tPSA strategy was more expensive than phi strategy.

CONCLUSIONS

The introduction of phi index in PCa detection would result in a significant clinical benefit compared to tPSA strategy. In our economic model, the phi strategy was equivalent or slightly more expensive than the current tPSA strategy.

Spectrophotometric photodynamic diagnosis of prostate cancer cells excreted in voided urine using 5-aminolevulinic acid

To evaluate the feasibility of photodynamic diagnosis using 5-aminolevulinic acid (PDD-ALA) for detection of prostate cancer (PCa) cells in urine samples after prostate massage in patients who were suspected to have PCa. One hundred and eighty-nine patients with abnormal digital rectal examination and/or an elevated prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level who underwent initial prostate biopsy were recruited. After prostate massage, the first 60 mL of voided urine was collected. For PDD-ALA, 50 mL was used. The rest of collected urine was used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) of PSA and glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH). After incubation for 2 h, the intensity was measured at 635 nm under a 405-nm wavelength excitation. The results of PDD-ALA were compared with those of an initial transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy. Overall, 126/189 (67%) samples that showed bands of both PSA and GAPDH on PCR in urine samples were analyzed. The area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity of PDD-ALA were 0.74, 77, and 67%, respectively. The value of PDD-ALA was significantly higher in patients with Gleason scores of 6 (p = 0.03), 7 (p = 0.005), and 8-10 (p = 0.0002) than in those with negative biopsy results. In the multivariate analysis, high PSA density, abnormal findings on TRUS, and a high value of PDD-ALA were significant markers for prediction of positive biopsy results. PDD-ALA was useful to predict positive biopsy results in patients who underwent initial prostate biopsy with suspected PCa. This PCa-detection method has potential for clinical use.

New biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis of localized prostate cancer

The diagnostics and management of localized prostate cancer is complicated because of cancer heterogeneity and differentiated progression in various subgroups of patients. As a prostate cancer biomarker, FDA-approved detection assay for serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and its derivatives are not potent enough to diagnose prostate cancer, especially high-grade disease (Gleason ≥7). To date, a collection of new biomarkers was developed. Some of these markers are superior for primary screening while others are particularly helpful for cancer risk stratification, detection of high-grade cancer, and prediction of adverse events. Two of those markers such as proPSA (a part of the Prostate Health Index (PHI)) and prostate specific antigen 3 (PCA3) (a part of the PCA3 Progensa test) were recently approved by FDA for clinical use. Other markers are not PDA-approved yet but are available from Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA)-certified clinical laboratories. In this review, we characterize diagnostic performance of these markers and their diagnostic and prognostic utility for prostate cancer.

Clinical utility of the Prostate Health Index (phi) for biopsy decision management in a large group urology practice setting

Background

Deciding when to biopsy a man with non-suspicious DRE findings and tPSA in the 4–10 ng/ml range can be challenging, because two-thirds of such biopsies are typically found to be benign. The Prostate Health Index (phi) exhibits significantly improved diagnostic accuracy for prostate cancer detection when compared to tPSA and %fPSA, however only one published study to date has investigated its impact on biopsy decisions in clinical practice.

Methods

An IRB approved observational study was conducted at four large urology group practices using a physician reported two-part questionnaire. Physician recommendations were recorded before and after receiving the phi test result. A historical control group was queried from each site's electronic medical records for eligible men who were seen by the same participating urologists prior to the implementation of the phi test in their practice. 506 men receiving a phi test were prospectively enrolled and 683 men were identified for the historical control group (without phi). Biopsy and pathological findings were also recorded for both groups.

Results

Men receiving a phi test showed a significant reduction in biopsy procedures performed when compared to the historical control group (36.4% vs. 60.3%, respectively, P < 0.0001). Based on questionnaire responses, the phi score impacted the physician’s patient management plan in 73% of cases, including biopsy deferrals when the phi score was low, and decisions to perform biopsies when the phi score indicated an intermediate or high probability of prostate cancer (phi ≥36).

Conclusions

phi testing significantly impacted the physician’s biopsy decision for men with tPSA in the 4–10 ng/ml range and non-suspicious DRE findings. Appropriate utilization of phi resulted in a significant reduction in biopsy procedures performed compared to historical patients seen by the same participating urologists who would have met enrollment eligibility but did not receive a phi test.

Biomarkers in prostate cancer - Current clinical utility and future perspectives

Current tendencies in the treatment course of prostate cancer patients increase the need for reliable biomarkers that help in decision-making in a challenging clinical setting. Within the last decade, several novel biomarkers have been introduced. In the following comprehensive review article, we focus on diagnostic (PHI^®, 4K score, SelectMDx^®, ConfirmMDx^®, PCA3, MiPS, ExoDX^®, mpMRI) and prognostic (OncotypeDX GPS^®, Prolaris^®, ProMark^®, DNA-ploidy, Decipher^®) biomarkers that are in widespread clinical use and are supported by evidence. Hereby, we focus on multiple clinical situations in which innovative biomarkers may guide decision-making in prostate cancer therapy. In addition, we describe novel liquid biopsy approaches (circulating tumor cells, cell-free DNA) that have been described as predictive biomarkers in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer and might support an individual patient-centred oncological approach in the nearer future.

Prostate health index significantly reduced unnecessary prostate biopsies in patients with PSA 2-10 ng/mL and PSA >10 ng/mL: Results from a Multicenter Study in China

BACKGROUND

The performance of prostate health index (phi) in predicting prostate biopsy outcomes has been well established for patients with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values between 2 and 10 ng/mL. However, the performance of phi remains unknown in patients with PSA >10 ng/mL, the vast majority in Chinese biopsy patients. We aimed to assess the ability of phi to predict prostate cancer (PCa) and high-grade disease (Gleason Score ≥7) on biopsy in a Chinese population.

METHODS

This is a prospective, observational, multi-center study of consecutive patients who underwent a transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy at four hospitals in Shanghai, China from August 2013 to December 2014.

RESULTS

In the cohort of 1538 patients, the detection rate of PCa was 40.2%. phi had a significantly better predictive performance for PCa than total PSA (tPSA). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were 0.90 and 0.79 for phi and tPSA, respectively, P < 0.0001. A considerable proportion of patients in the cohort had PSAs >10 ng/mL (N = 838, 54.5%). The detection rates of PCa were 35.9% and 57.7% in patients with tPSA 10.1-20 and 20.1-50 ng/mL, respectively. The AUCs of phi (0.79 and 0.89, for these two groups, respectively) were also significantly higher than tPSA (0.57 and 0.63, respectively), both P < 0.0001. If a phi ≤35 was used as the cutoff, 599/1538 (39%) biopsies could have been avoided at a cost of missing small numbers of PCa patients: 49 (7.93%) PCa patients, including 18 (3.69%) high-grade tumors.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this study suggest that phi can be used to predict PCa and high-grade disease in Chinese men with high PSA levels (>10 ng/mL).

Predictive value of [-2]propsa (p2psa) and its derivatives for the prostate cancer detection in the 2.0 to 10.0ng/mL PSA range

Introduction

To assess predictive value of new tumor markers, precursor of prostate specific antigen (p2PSA) and its derivates-%p2PSA and prostate health index (PHI) in detection of patients with indolent and aggressive prostate cancer (PC) in a subcohort of man whose total PSA ranged from 2 to 10ng/mL.

Materials and Methods

This cross-sectional study included 129 consecutive male patients aged over 50 years, with no previous history of PC and with normal digital rectal examination findings, but with serum PSA in interval between 2 and 10ng/mL. All patients underwent standard transrectal ultrasonography guided prostate biopsy for the first time. For all patients, serum PSA, free PSA (fPSA) and p2PSA were measured and PHI and %p2PSA were calculated.

Results

PHI and %p2PSA levels were significanlty higher in patients with PC compared to those without this malignancy. The same findings have been observed in group of patients with Gleason score ≥7 compared to those with Gleason score <7. ROC analysis reveled the highest area under the curve with these two markers. Multivariate logistic regression showed significant improvement in PC detection and its agressive form (assumed as Gleason score ≥7).

Conclusions

New markers, derivates of p2PSA (especially %p2PSA and PHI), represente potentially very important clinical tool for predicting presence of PC, and even more important, to discriminate patients with Gleason score <7 from those with Gleason score ≥7 with total PSA in range from 2 to 10ng/mL.

The prostate health index PHI predicts oncological outcome and biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy - analysis in 437 patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Prostate-Health-Index (PHI) for pathological outcome prediction following radical prostatectomy and also for biochemical recurrence prediction in comparison to established parameters such as Gleason-score, pathological tumor stage, resection status (R0/1) and prostate-specific antigen (PSA).

Out of a cohort of 460 cases with preoperative PHI-measurements (World Health Organization calibration: Beckman Coulter Access-2-Immunoassay) between 2001 and 2014, 437 patients with complete follow up data were included. From these 437 patients, 87 (19.9%) developed a biochemical recurrence. Patient characteristics were compared by using chi-square test. Predictors were analyzed by multivariate adjusted logistic and Cox regression.

The median follow up for a biochemical recurrence was 65 (range 3-161) months. PHI, PSA, [-2]proPSA, PHI- and PSA-density performed as significant variables (p < 0.05) for cancer aggressiveness: Gleason-score <7 or ≥7 (ISUP grade 1 or ≥2) . Concerning pathological tumor stage discrimination and prediction, variables as PHI, PSA, %fPSA, [-2]proPSA, PHI- and PSA-density significantly discriminated between stages <pT3 and ≥pT3 with the highest AUC (0.7) for PHI. In biochemical recurrence prediction PHI, PSA, [-2]proPSA, PHI- and PSA-density were the strongest predictors.

In conclusion, due to heterogeneity of time spans to biochemical recurrence, longer follow up periods are crucial. This study with a median follow up of more than 5 years, confirmed a clinical value for PHI as an independent biomarker essential for biochemical recurrence prediction.

Use of the Prostate Health Index for detection of prostate cancer: results from a large academic practice

BACKGROUND

The Prostate Health Index (phi) outperforms PSA and other PSA derivatives for the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa). The impact of phi testing in the real-world clinical setting has not been previously assessed.

METHODS

In a single, large, academic center, phi was tested in 345 patients presenting for diagnostic evaluation for PCa. Findings on prostate biopsy (including Grade Group [GG], defined as GG1: Gleason score [GS] 6, GG2: GS 3+4=7, GG3: GS 4+3=7, GG4: GS 8, and GG5: GS 9-10), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and radical prostatectomy (RP) were prospectively recorded. Biopsy rates and outcomes were compared to a contemporary cohort that did not undergo phi testing (n=1318).

RESULTS

Overall, 39% of men with phi testing underwent prostate biopsy. No men with phi<19.6 were diagnosed with PCa, and only 3 men with phi<27 had cancer of GG≥2. Phi was superior to PSA for the prediction of any PCa (AUC 0.72 vs. 0.47) and GG≥2 PCa (AUC 0.77 vs. 0.53) on prostate biopsy. Among men undergoing MRI and phi, no men with phi<27 and PI-RADS≤3 had GG≥2 cancer. For those men proceeding to RP, increasing phi was associated with higher pathologic GG (p=0.002) and stage (p=0.001). Compared to patients who did not undergo phi testing, the use of phi was associated with a 9% reduction in the rate of prostate biopsy (39% vs. 48%; p<0.001). Importantly, the reduction in biopsy among the phi population was secondary to decreased incidence of negative (8%) and GG1 (1%) biopsies, while the proportion of biopsies detecting GG≥2 cancers remained unchanged.

CONCLUSIONS

In this large, real-time clinical experience, phi outperformed PSA alone, was associated with high-grade PCa, and provided complementary information to MRI. Incorporation of phi into clinical practice reduced the rate of unnecessary biopsies without changing the frequency of detection of higher grade cancers.

Clinical Utility of Biomarkers in Localized Prostate Cancer

A new generation of prostate cancer (PCa) biomarkers has emerged, including diagnostic serum and urine markers aimed at refining the identification high-grade tumors and tissue-based gene expression assays offering prognostic and predictive clinical information. Such tests seek to improve treatment-related decisions at multiple decision points, including initial diagnosis and following initial primary therapy. In this review, we aim to contextualize the body of evidence surrounding these emerging tests, with attention on studies addressing clinical utility.

Novel biomarkers for the detection of prostate cancer

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used as a biomarker in the detection of prostate cancer and for decision making regarding treatment options, response to therapy, and clinical follow-up. Despite its widespread use, it is well recognised that PSA has suboptimal performance as a screening tool due to poor specificity, resulting in high negative biopsy rates and potential ‘over-diagnosis’ and ‘over-treatment’ of clinically insignificant cancers. In particular, PSA does not reliably distinguish either cancer from benign prostatic conditions, or ‘clinically significant’ from ‘indolent cancers’, and it is inaccurate in predicting disease burden and response to treatment. There is an urgent demand for novel biomarkers to address these clinical needs. This article provides an update on the novel candidate biomarkers in development, which have shown potential for improving the detection of clinically significant cases of this malignancy.

The Prostate Health Index adds predictive value to multi-parametric MRI in detecting significant prostate cancers in a repeat biopsy population

Both multi-parametric MRI (mpMRI) and the Prostate Health Index (PHI) have shown promise in predicting a positive biopsy in men with suspected prostate cancer. Here we investigated the value of combining both tests in men requiring a repeat biopsy. PHI scores were measured in men undergoing re-biopsy with an mpMRI image-guided transperineal approach (n = 279, 94 with negative mpMRIs). The PHI was assessed for ability to add value to mpMRI in predicting all or only significant cancers (Gleason ≥7). In this study adding PHI to mpMRI improved overall and significant cancer prediction (AUC 0.71 and 0.75) compared to mpMRI + PSA alone (AUC 0.64 and 0.69 respectively). At a threshold of ≥35, PHI + mpMRI demonstrated a NPV of 0.97 for excluding significant tumours. In mpMRI negative men, the PHI again improved prediction of significant cancers; AUC 0.76 vs 0.63 (mpMRI + PSA). Using a PHI≥35, only 1/21 significant cancers was missed and 31/73 (42%) men potentially spared a re-biopsy (NPV of 0.97, sensitivity 0.95). Decision curve analysis demonstrated clinically relevant utility of the PHI across threshold probabilities of 5-30%. In summary, the PHI adds predictive performance to image-guided detection of clinically significant cancers and has particular value in determining re-biopsy need in men with a negative mpMRI.

The clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the PROGENSA® prostate cancer antigen 3 assay and the Prostate Health Index in the diagnosis of prostate cancer: a systematic review and economic evaluation

BACKGROUND

There is no single definitive test to identify prostate cancer in men. Biopsies are commonly used to obtain samples of prostate tissue for histopathological examination. However, this approach frequently misses cases of cancer, meaning that repeat biopsies may be necessary to obtain a diagnosis. The PROGENSA(®) prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3) assay (Hologic Gen-Probe, Marlborough, MA, USA) and the Prostate Health Index (phi; Beckman Coulter Inc., Brea, CA, USA) are two new tests (a urine test and a blood test, respectively) that are designed to be used to help clinicians decide whether or not to recommend a repeat biopsy.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the PCA3 assay and the phi in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

DATA SOURCES

Multiple publication databases and trial registers were searched in May 2014 (from 2000 to May 2014), including MEDLINE, EMBASE, The Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Science, Medion, Aggressive Research Intelligence Facility database, ClinicalTrials.gov, International Standard Randomised Controlled Trial Number Register and World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform.

REVIEW METHODS

The assessment of clinical effectiveness involved three separate systematic reviews, namely reviews of the analytical validity, the clinical validity of these tests and the clinical utility of these tests. The assessment of cost-effectiveness comprised a systematic review of full economic evaluations and the development of a de novo economic model.

SETTING

The perspective of the evaluation was the NHS in England and Wales.

PARTICIPANTS

Men suspected of having prostate cancer for whom the results of an initial prostate biopsy were negative or equivocal.

INTERVENTIONS

The use of the PCA3 score or phi in combination with existing tests (including histopathology results, prostate-specific antigen level and digital rectal examination), multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and clinical judgement.

RESULTS

In addition to documents published by the manufacturers, six studies were identified for inclusion in the analytical validity review. The review identified issues concerning the precision of the PCA3 assay measurements. It also highlighted issues relating to the storage requirements and stability of samples intended for analysis using the phi assay. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria for the clinical validity review. These studies reported results for 10 different clinical comparisons. There was insufficient evidence to enable the identification of appropriate test threshold values for use in a clinical setting. In addition, the implications of adding either the PCA3 assay or the phi to clinical assessment were not clear. Furthermore, the addition of the PCA3 assay or the phi to clinical assessment plus magnetic resonance imaging was not found to improve discrimination. No published papers met the inclusion criteria for either the clinical utility review or the cost-effectiveness review. The results from the cost-effectiveness analyses indicated that using either the PCA3 assay or the phi in the NHS was not cost-effective.

LIMITATIONS

The main limitations of the systematic review of clinical validity are that the review conclusions are over-reliant on findings from one study, the descriptions of clinical assessment vary widely within reviewed studies and many of the reported results for the clinical validity outcomes do not include either standard errors or confidence intervals.

CONCLUSIONS

The clinical benefit of using the PCA3 assay or the phi in combination with existing tests, scans and clinical judgement has not yet been confirmed. The results from the cost-effectiveness analyses indicate that the use of these tests in the NHS would not be cost-effective.

STUDY REGISTRATION

This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42014009595.

FUNDING

The National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme.

[-2]proPSA versus ultrasensitive PSA fluctuations over time in the first year from radical prostatectomy, in an high-risk prostate cancer population: A first report

Background

[−2]proPSA and its derivatives have an higher diagnostic accuracy than PSA in predicting prostate cancer (PCa). In alternative to PSA, ultrasensitive PSA (uPSA) and [−2]proPSA could be potentially useful in recurrent disease detection. This research focused on [−2]proPSA and uPSA fluctuations over time and their possible clinical and pathological determinants, in the first year after RP.

Methods

A cohort of 106 consecutive patients, undergoing RP for high-risk prostate cancer (pT3/pT4 and/or positive margins), was enrolled. No patient received either preoperative/postoperative androgen deprivation therapy or immediate adjuvant RT, this latter for patient choice. [−2]proPSA and uPSA were measured at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12 months after RP; their trends over time were estimated by the mixed-effects linear model. The uPSA relapse was defined either as 3 rising uPSA values after nadir or 2 consecutive uPSA >0.2 ng/ml after RP.

Results

The biochemical recurrence (BCR) rate at 1 year after RP was either 38.6 % (in case of 3 rising uPSA values) or 34.9 % (in case of PSA >0.2 ng/ml after nadir), respectively. The main risk factors for uPSA fluctuations over time were PSA at diagnosis >8 ng/ml (p = 0.014), pT (p = 0.038) and pN staging (p = 0.001). In turn, PSA at diagnosis >8 ng/ml (p = 0.012) and pN (p < 0.001) were the main determinants for [−2]proPSA trend over time. In a 39 patients subgroup, uPSA decreased from month 1 to 3, while [−2]proPSA increased in 90 % of them; subsequently, both uPSA and [−2]proPSA increased in almost all cases. The [−2]proPSA trend over time was independent from BCR status either in the whole cohort as well in the 39 men subgroup.

Conclusions

Both uPSA and [−2]proPSA had independent significant fluctuations over time. PSA at diagnosis >8 ng/ml and pathological staging significantly modified both these trends over time. Since BCR was not confirmed as determinant of [−2]proPSA fluctuations, its use as marker of early biochemical relapse may not be actually recommended, in an high-risk prostate cancer patients population.

Prostate Health Index and %p2PSA Predict Aggressive Prostate Cancer Pathology in Chinese Patients Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

PURPOSE

To investigate the performance of prostate health index (PHI) and percentage prostate-specific antigen (PSA) isoform [-2]proPSA (%p2PSA) in predicting pathologic outcomes at radical prostatectomy (RP) in a Chinese population.

METHODS

We performed a prospective study of 135 prostate cancer patients with RP. The accuracy of preoperative %p2PSA (= p2PSA/free PSA) and PHI [= (p2PSA/free PSA) × √PSA] in predicting pathologic outcomes of RP including pT3 disease, pathologic Gleason score (pGS) ≥7, Gleason score (GS) upgrade at RP, tumor volume >0.5 ml, and Epstein criteria for significant tumor were calculated using multivariate analyses and area under the curve. The base model in multivariate analysis included age, PSA, abnormal digital rectal examination, and biopsy GS.

RESULTS

PHI was significantly higher in patients with pT3 or pGS ≥ 7 (p < 0.001), pT3 disease (p = 0.001), pGS ≥ 7 (p < 0.001), GS upgrade (p < 0.001), tumor volume >0.5 ml (p < 0.001), and Epstein criteria for significant tumor (p = 0.001). %p2PSA was also significantly higher in all the above outcomes. The risk of pT3 or pGS ≥ 7 was 16.1 % for PHI < 35 and 60.8 % for PHI > 35 (sensitivity 84.2 %, specificity of 60.3 %), and the risk of tumor volume >0.5 ml was 25.5 % for PHI < 35 and 72.6 % for PHI > 35 (sensitivity 79.1 %, specificity 67.2 %). In multivariate analysis, adding %p2PSA or PHI to the base model significantly improved the accuracy (area under the curve) in predicting pT3 or pGS ≥ 7 (by 7.2-7.9 %), tumor volume >0.5 ml (by 10.3-12.8 %), and Epstein criteria for significant tumor (by 13.9-15.9 %). Net clinical benefit was observed in decision curve analyses for prediction of both tumor volume >0.5 ml, and pT3 or pGS ≥ 7.

CONCLUSIONS

Both PHI and %p2PSA predict aggressive and significant pathologies in RP in Chinese men. This enabled identification of nonaggressive cancers for better counseling on active surveillance or treatment.

Prostate-specific antigen-based population screening for prostate cancer: current status in Japan and future perspective in Asia

In Western countries, clinical trials on prostate cancer screening demonstrated a limited benefit for patient survival. In the Asia-Pacific region, including Japan, the rate of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing remains very low compared with Western countries, and the benefits of population-based screening remain unclear. This review describes the current status of population screening and diagnosis for prostate cancer in Japan and discusses the efficacy of population screening for the Asian population. Since the 1990s, screening systems have been administered by each municipal government in Japan, and decreases in the prostate cancer mortality rate are expected in some regions where the exposure rate to PSA screening has increased markedly. A population-based screening cohort revealed that the proportion of metastatic disease in cancer detected by screening gradually decreased according to the increased exposure rate, and a decreasing trend in the proportion of cancer with high serum PSA levels after population screening was started. The prognosis of the prostate cancer detected by population screening was demonstrated to be more favorable than those diagnosed outside of the population screening. Recent results in screening cohorts demonstrated the efficacy of PSA. These recent evidences regarding population-based screening in Japan may contribute to establishing the optimal prostate cancer screening system in Asian individuals.

Comprehensive assessment for novel prostate cancer markers in the prostate-specific antigen era: focusing on Asians and Asian countries

We reviewed the current evidence for three novel prostate tumor markers (PCA3, TMPRSS2:ERG and proPSA) that have been recently reported predominantly in Western countries. We focus our attention on Asian men in both clinical and basic research studies. There have been no reports on the clinical usefulness of these three markers for Asians living in Western countries. In Asian countries, evidence for the clinical usefulness of PCA3 and proPSA-related indices including Prostate Health Index is being accumulated, mainly in Japan. The process for how a novel marker is approved in the clinical setting is also discussed.