Prostate cancer proteomics

Proteomics has offered the hope of biomarker discovery to improve the management of prostate cancer. Markers are needed for screening and diagnosis, distinguishing latent from aggressive disease, defining the men who will benefit from therapy, differentiating localized from metastatic disease, predicting outcome and identifying new targets for therapy. There are many potential sources of proteins derived from the prostate, including urine, prostatic fluid (expressed or ejaculate), serum, and plasma or tissue, each with distinct advantages and limitations. Equally, there are many methodological platforms for proteomic studies of the prostate. Despite the promise, protoemics has yielded little of relevance to the management of prostate cancer, and most of the work that has been published is either irreproducible or of no clinical value.