Decrease in creatine kinase in human prostatic carcinoma compared to benign prostatic hyperplasia

Area of Science:

• Biochemistry
• Oncology
• Urology

Background:

• Elevated creatine kinase (CK) BB isoenzyme activity in peripheral blood has been observed in some prostate cancer patients.
• CK activity is primarily localized to epithelial cells in both hyperplastic and cancerous prostate tissues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare creatine kinase activity levels in tissues from benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate carcinoma.
• To evaluate the potential of creatine kinase as a biomarker for prostate cancer tumor burden.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of creatine kinase activity in tissue samples from 22 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 23 patients with prostate carcinoma.
• Histochemical studies to confirm the cellular localization of creatine kinase activity.

Main Results:

• Prostatic carcinomas exhibited significantly lower creatine kinase activity per gram of tissue compared to prostates with benign prostatic hyperplasia (p < 0.001).
• Despite a larger epithelial component in carcinomas on average, epithelial cells in cancerous tissue contained less CK activity per cell than those in hyperplastic tissue.
• The BB isoenzyme accounted for 98% of CK activity in both cancerous and non-cancerous prostate tissues.

Conclusions:

• Creatine kinase activity is lower in prostate cancer tissue than in benign hyperplastic tissue.
• The significant variability in CK activity among different prostate carcinomas limits its utility as a general marker for tumor burden.
• Longitudinal monitoring of individual patients may be necessary for creatine kinase to be useful in assessing prostate cancer tumor burden.