Authors' objectives: Approximately 1 in 6 American men will develop prostate cancer in his lifetime, making prostate cancer the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. Currently, prostate cancer screening involves digital rectal examination (DRE) along with measurement of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. However, the specificity of PSA screening is low, and approximately 60% to 80% of men referred for follow-up will have a negative biopsy. The prostate cancer antigen 3 gene (PCA3) was discovered in a search for more specific biomarkers of prostate cancer that could facilitate screening and early diagnosis of the disease. The PCA3 gene, which is located on chromosome 9 at band q21 to q22, produces a noncoding messenger RNA (mRNA) of unknown function. Expression of PCA3 is markedly increased in more than 95% of malignant prostate tumors. In contrast, there is little to no expression of PCA3 in nonprostatic tissues or in other types of malignancy. PCA3 transcripts are detectable in prostate tumor cells shed into the urethra after palpation of the prostate by DRE. As a result, first-catch post-DRE urine specimens may be used to test for PCA3 expression. The earliest versions of PCA3 detection tests used reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification or nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA), while the assay currently used by most laboratories in the United States utilizes transcription-mediated amplification (TMA).

Project Status: Completed

Year Published: 2014

URL for published report: The report may be purchased from: http://www.hayesinc.com/hayes/crd/?crd=10191

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: United States

Organisation Name: HAYES, Inc.

Contact Address: 157 S. Broad Street, Suite 200, Lansdale, PA 19446, USA. Tel: 215 855 0615; Fax: 215 855 5218

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Contact Email: saleinfo@hayesinc.com

Copyright: 2014 Winifred S. Hayes, Inc