Recently, Proclarix and the prostate health index (PHI) have been suggested as blood biomarkers for prostate cancer (PCa). For a study, researchers sought to assess Proclarix and PHI for their ability to detect clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa).
Using samples of 344 males from two separate centers, Proclarix and PHI were calculated. The prostates of all patients were biopsied, and 188 of the men who developed PCa received further radical prostatectomy (RP). Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in all of the men were between 2 and 10 ng/ml. In order to predict csPCa, Proclarix and PHI risk scores, as well as their linear combination, were evaluated for the area under the curve (AUC) and performance at predetermined cut-offs. As a neutral comparative, PSA density was employed.
The cohort’s median age was 65 (interquartile range [IQR]: 60–71), and its median PSA level was 5.6 (IQR: 4.3–7.2) ng/ml. Based on the RP specimen, 161 (47%) men had CsPCa. Proclarix and PHI reliably predicted csPCa with no discernible difference, according to ROC analysis (AUC of 0.79 and 0.76, P=0.378), but much better than PSA density (AUC of 0.66, P<0.001). Proclarix (cut-off 10) had greater specificity and positive predictive value than PHI (cut-off 27) at comparable sensitivities when employing specified cut-offs. The best clinical benefit was attained with the Proclarix and PHI combination as compared to the individual tests alone, with a substantial rise in the AUC (P≤0.007).
The findings of the investigation demonstrated that csPCa might be reliably detected by Proclarix and PHI. The synergistic impact was discovered, and the diagnostic performance of the individual tests was enhanced by the model combining Proclarix and PHI.
Reference: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pros.24422
