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Updated: May 11, 2026

Sequencing Small Non-coding RNA from Formalin-fixed Tissues and Serum-derived Exosomes from Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer Patients
Published on: November 19, 2019
Serum sarcosine is a risk factor for progression and survival in patients with metastatic castration-resistant
Giuseppe Lucarelli1, Pasquale Ditonno, Carlo Bettocchi
1Department of Emergency & Organ Transplantation, Urology, Andrology & Kidney Transplantation Unit Piazza Giulio Cesare 11, 70124 Bari, Italy. giuseppe.lucarelli@inwind.it
Aim:
Sarcosine has been identified as a differential metabolite that is greatly increased during progression from normal tissue to prostate cancer and metastatic disease. In this study we assessed the role of serum sarcosine in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients.
Patients & Methods:
Data from 52 mCRPC patients treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy were retrospectively analyzed. Receiver operating characteristic curves, and Kaplan-Meier and Cox multivariate analyses were performed.
Results:
Median sarcosine values were significantly higher in mCRPC versus non-mCRPC patients (0.81 vs 0.52 nmol/µl; p < 0.0001). A significant correlation resulted between serum sarcosine levels and the duration of hormone sensitivity (Spearman's correlation coefficient: -0.51; p = 0.001). At multivariate analysis sarcosine was an independent prognostic factor of outcome in terms of overall and progression-free survival.
Conclusion:
Serum sarcosine values were significantly increased in patients with metastatic disease. Moreover, this biomarker is a risk factor for progression and survival in chemotherapy-treated mCRPC patients.
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