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Clinical & Experimental Metastasis
Published in: Clinical & Experimental Metastasis 8/2010

01-12-2010 | Research Paper

Serum follistatin in patients with prostate cancer metastatic to the bone

Authors: Francesca Maria Tumminello, Giuseppe Badalamenti, Fabio Fulfaro, Lorena Incorvaia, Marilena Crescimanno, Carla Flandina, Maria Vittoria Sepporta, Gaetano Leto

Published in: Clinical & Experimental Metastasis | Issue 8/2010

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Abstract

The clinical significance of circulating follistatin (FLST), an inhibitor of the multifunctional cytokine activin A (Act A), was investigated in patients with prostate cancer (PCa). The serum concentrations of this molecule were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in PCa patients with (M+) or without (M0) bone metastases, in patients with benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and in healthy subjects (HS). The effectiveness of FLST in detecting PCa patients with skeletal metastases was determined by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Serum FLST was significantly higher in PCa patients than in BPH patients (P = 0.001) or HS (P = 0.011). Conversely, in BPH patients, FLST levels resulted lower than in HS (P = 0.025). In cancer patients the serum concentrations of FLST significantly correlated with the presence of bone metastases (P = 0.0005) or increased PSA levels (P = 0.04). Interestingly, significant differences in the ratio between FLST and Act A serum concentrations (FLST/Act A) were observed between HS and BPH patients (P = 0.001) or PCa patients (P = 0.0005). Finally, ROC curve analysis, highlighted a sound diagnostic performance of FLST in detecting M+ patients (P = 0.0001). However, the diagnostic effectiveness of FLST did not result significantly superior to that of Act A or PSA. These findings suggest that FLST may be regarded as a potential, molecular target in the treatment of metastatic bone disease while its clinical role as soluble marker in the clinical management of PCa patients with bone metastases needs to be better defined.
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Metadata
Title
Serum follistatin in patients with prostate cancer metastatic to the bone
Authors
Francesca Maria Tumminello
Giuseppe Badalamenti
Fabio Fulfaro
Lorena Incorvaia
Marilena Crescimanno
Carla Flandina
Maria Vittoria Sepporta
Gaetano Leto
Publication date
01-12-2010
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Published in
Clinical & Experimental Metastasis / Issue 8/2010
Print ISSN: 0262-0898
Electronic ISSN: 1573-7276
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10585-010-9344-x

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