Detection of telomerase activity in prostatic fluid specimens

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosis relies on serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and Gleason scores, which have limitations.
• Telomerase is an enzyme crucial for cell proliferation and is often upregulated in cancer.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of the telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP) assay for detecting telomerase activity in prostatic fluid as a potential biomarker for PCa.

Main Methods:

• Fresh prostatic fluid samples were collected from patients undergoing anesthesia.
• Telomerase activity was measured using the TRAP assay in both pellet extract and supernatant fluid.
• Results were correlated with serum PSA levels and Gleason scores.

Main Results:

• Telomerase activity was detected in 83% of PCa patients and only 11% of non-PCa patients, yielding a positive predictive value (PPV) of 96% for PCa.
• A strong correlation was observed between telomerase activity and elevated serum PSA levels (>4 ng/ml).
• Telomerase activity was detected in 85% of PCa patients with Gleason scores >4, with a PPV of 92% when Gleason score 4 was the lower limit.

Conclusions:

• The TRAP assay for telomerase activity in prostatic fluid is a sensitive and specific potential biomarker for prostate cancer detection.
• Telomerase activity in prostatic fluid may serve as a valuable adjunct to existing methods like PSA testing and Gleason scoring for PCa diagnosis.