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Microarray-based Identification of Individual HERV Loci Expression: Application to Biomarker Discovery in Prostate Cancer
Published on: November 2, 2013
Selected Blood-Accessible Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy: A PRISMA-ScR Timing-Window Framework Beyond PSA
Miloš Grujić1,2, Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa3,4, Ivan Jovanović5,6,7
1Clinic of Radiation Oncology, University Clinical Center Kragujevac, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia.
Cancers
|August 13, 2026
Summary
Blood biomarkers like testosterone and IL-6 show promise for personalizing prostate cancer radiotherapy, but evidence is limited. Further research is needed to establish their clinical utility for guiding treatment decisions.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiotherapy
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Personalizing prostate cancer radiotherapy requires understanding blood-accessible biomarkers.
- Biomarker interpretation is complex due to timing relative to radiotherapy, androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), and recovery.
- Selected biomarker domains beyond PSA include DNA damage response (γ-H2AX), inflammatory mediators (IL-6), endocrine recovery (testosterone), and immune-stromal markers (galectin-1/3).
Purpose of the Study:
- To map the clinical evidence for selected blood biomarker domains in prostate cancer radiotherapy pathways.
- To identify evidence gaps, particularly for galectin-1/3, and assess the maturity of evidence for other biomarkers.
Main Methods:
- A PRISMA-ScR scoping review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science.
- Eligible studies evaluated serum/plasma analytes or peripheral blood cell assays in prostate radiotherapy contexts.
- Data were charted by biomarker domain, treatment context, RT modality, assay reporting, sampling schedule, and endpoint linkage.
Main Results:
- 45 studies were included; no studies reported on circulating galectin-1/3 kinetics related to prostate radiotherapy, indicating a significant evidence gap.
- Testosterone studies (n=28) were most numerous, followed by IL-6 (n=12) and γ-H2AX (n=5).
- Testosterone data covered RT-only kinetics and ADT-anchored recovery. IL-6 studies linked trajectories to acute toxicity and symptoms, not survival outcomes. γ-H2AX studies focused on ultra-acute, fraction-anchored sampling. Baseline definition and sampling timing were key limitations across all domains.
Conclusions:
- Evidence maturity varies significantly across biomarker domains, with testosterone being the most developed.
- IL-6 remains exploratory, linked mainly to acute effects. γ-H2AX is primarily translational/biodosimetry-focused. Galectin-1/3 represents a hypothesis-generating gap.
- Currently, none of these biomarkers support routine biomarker-guided prostate radiotherapy personalization. Future studies need domain-specific sampling, stratified contexts, standardized reporting, and clinically relevant endpoints.
