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Updated: Apr 16, 2026
Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer
Published on: November 2, 2013
PCA3 and PSA gene activity correlates with the true tumor cell burden in prostate cancer lymph node metastases
Igor Tsaur1, Joerg Hennenlotter2, Elsie Oppermann3
1Department of Urology, University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
Background:
Extent of pelvic lymph node (LN) dissemination is a critical prognostic feature for patients with prostate cancer (PCa) maintaining extended pelvic lymphadenectomy (LAD) as the gold standard for LN-staging. Unfortunately, conventional histopathological assessment may miss micrometastasis and recently presented immunocytochemical approach of the single cell analysis is still intricate.
Objective:
To comparatively assess the potential of Prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) and prostate specific antigene (PSA) to perform as markers for tumor cell load.
Methods:
Patients with high risk PCa for LN metastasis undergoing either a sentinel LN-guided staging LAD or retropubic radical prostatectomy with sentinel-guided pelvic LN dissection were included. LNs were investigated by routine histopathology. Tumor cell load was quantified by %immunocytochemistry. immunocytochemical single cell analysis. Gene activity was determined by qRT-PCR.
Results:
Twenty four out of 226 LNs were positive in routine histopathology and 51 in single cell analysis. PSA mRNA level correlated with tumor cell density in patients with a positive immunocytochemistry. Gene activity of PCA3 was upregulated in metastatic LNs and correlated with tumor cell density in patients with tumor-invaded LNs as detected by immunocytochemistry.
Conclusions:
PCA3 gene expression discriminates LN metastasis and might outperform PSA gene activity in reflecting tumor cell burden in pelvic LNs of PCa patients.
