Ornithine decarboxylase activity in prostate cancer

Prostate cancer (PCa), the most common solid malignant neoplasm in men, is characterized using the Gleason score and diagnosed using prostate-specific antigen (PSA) biomarker. However, Gleason score and PSA-based diagnostics are not universal and have significant limitations. It is supposed that the ornithine decarboxylase activity (A_ODC) could be a suitable auxiliary biomarker for the PCa diagnosis or monitoring the therapeutic efficacy.

To assess the relation between A_ODC in PCa tissues and the level of serum PSA with the Gleason score (GS) and the clinical stage.

29 patients (48 to 79 years old) with prostate adenocarcinoma of different GS (6 to 10) and clinical stage (T1 to T4) were enrolled in the study. The A_ODC was analyzed in the PCa tissues by the modified spectrophotometric assay.

The patients with PCa were distributed into two groups: with low A_ODC < 0.3 and high A_ODC > 0.45. In group with A_ODC < 0.3, the highest value of A_ODC was recorded in patients with the lowest GS (= 6), while in group with A_ODC > 0.45, the highest value of A_ODC was recorded in the patients with the highest GS (= 9-10). Furthermore, in group with A_ODC > 0.45, the highest value of A_ODC was registered in the patients with T1 or T4 stage. The highest levels of serum PSA were detected in T3-T4 cases and in cases with the highest GS.

The patterns of A_ODC and serum PSA can be used as supplementary indices useful for monitoring PCa course.