CIRCULATING IMMUNOBIOLOGICAL MARKERS IN PROSTATIC-CANCER AND THEIR MODULATION BY SURGICAL HORMONAL-THERAPY

Cancer Serum Index (CSI) is a ratio between two serum components (alph a, acid glycoprotein/prealbumin). Circulating immune complexes (CIC) r eflect a host's humoral response towards tumor. Both may have the pote ntial to be practical adjuvant tools to the specific tumor marker pros tate specific antigen (PSA) in the diagnosis, staging and monitoring o f prostate cancer (Pca). To evaluate their efficacy, we measured the a bove immunobiologic markers in 120 Pca patients before and after one o f the following therapies: Radical prostatectomy (RP), transurethral r esection of the prostate (TURP) and hormonal treatment which included the LHRH analogue Zoladex or bilateral orchiectomy (orch). Our results show that PSA is a more specific tumor marker for Pca. On the other h and, CSI and CIC, even though higher in Pca as compared to benign pros tatic hypertrophy (BPH) and controls, could not distinguish between ea rly stage Pca and BPH, similar to PSA, therefore could not be used for screening purpose.