Autoantibody Signatures in Prostate Cancer

This article describes a new method of detecting autoantibodies against prostate cancer antigens in the serum of patients with prostate cancer. The method could add information to the standard test for prostate-specific antigen. This article describes a new method of detecting autoantibodies against prostate cancer antigens in the serum of patients with prostate cancer. Limitations of the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test for the early detection of prostate cancer 1 indicate the need for other means of screening for this neoplasm. The finding that patients with cancer produce autoantibodies against antigens in their tumors 2 – 7 suggests that such autoantibodies could have diagnostic and prognostic value. 4 , 5 , 8 – 10 For example, mutant forms of the p53 protein elicit anti-p53 antibodies in 30 to 40 percent of patients with various types of cancers. 11 Recently, we found that patients with prostate cancer produce antibodies against α-methylacyl-coenzyme A racemase, 12 an overexpressed protein in epithelial cells in prostate cancer. 13 – 15 This . . .