Low-PSMA hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: a distinct clinical and molecular state

A subset of hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (HSPC) exhibits low prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) uptake on PET imaging, which may limit the performance of PSMA-based detection and PSMA-directed therapeutic strategies. However, the clinical features and molecular basis of HSPC with low PSMA expression remain incompletely defined.

We first analyzed a retrospective dual-tracer PET cohort to estimate the frequency and clinical characteristics of tumors with low PSMA uptake at initial diagnosis. We then collected radical prostatectomy specimens for proteomics profiling, classifying tumors as low-PSMA (N = 16) or high-PSMA (N = 19) based on concordant [⁶⁸Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET and PSMA immunohistochemistry, with adjacent benign tissues included as controls. Label-free quantitative proteomics and integrative bioinformatic analyses were used to characterize low-PSMA-associated protein features and nominate candidate cell-surface membrane targets, followed by validation using RT-qPCR and immunohistochemistry.

Low-PSMA HSPC was identified in 7.23% (122/1,688) of patients in the retrospective dual-tracer PET cohort, indicating that reduced PSMA uptake is already observable at initial diagnosis. Although these tumors showed reduced PSMA expression, they were not uniformly low-risk, with 42.62% of cases exhibiting Gleason score ≥ 8. In the proteomic cohort, low-PSMA tumors showed concordant reductions in PSMA uptake and protein expression, supporting imaging-pathology alignment. Proteomic analysis revealed a distinct molecular state characterized by enrichment of tissue remodeling, repair, epithelial organization, and microenvironment-related programs, together with attenuation of androgen-response, E2F, and MYC-associated proliferative signaling. Cell-surface membrane surface target prioritization identified ALCAM and TACSTD2 as candidates, among which ALCAM was consistently upregulated in low-PSMA tumors at both mRNA and protein levels.

HSPC with low PSMA expression represents a distinct clinical and molecular state rather than a simple low-risk subgroup. Its proteomic features suggest altered epithelial differentiation, tissue remodeling, and reduced canonical prostate cancer signaling. ALCAM may serve as a complementary membrane biomarker for improving the molecular recognition of low-PSMA HSPC and supporting future alternative imaging or targeting strategies.