Prostate cancer: are new prognostic markers on the horizon?

Current diagnostic methods in prostate cancer are lacking in their ability to predict individual patient outcome which highlights the need for more se nsitive prognostic markers. Biological markers are seen as attractive and r elevant candidates in current efforts to improve prognostic methods. Since metastasis is the most important component of cancer progression and mortal ity, markers which are able to predict the likely acquisition of the metast atic phenotype, before the onset of metastases, would be extremely useful c linically. This review outlines various metastasis suppressor genes and met astasis promoters which might have potential prognostic use in prostate can cer.