Prognostic significance of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for prostate-specific antigen in men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic significance of reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) mRNA in the blood of men with hormone-refractory prostate cancer (HRPC). Patients and Methods: Peripheral blood was obtained from 193 men enrolled on Cancer and Leukemia Group B Study 9480, a prospective randomized comparison of three doses of suramin. RNA was isolated from the samples and assayed for the presence of PSA transcripts by RT-PCR. Results: RNA could be isolated in 156 (83%) of samples. PSA transcripts as measured by RT-PCR were detectable in 75 (48%) of the 156 patients. The median survival far those patients in whom no transcripts were detectable was 18 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 14 to 22 months) compared with 13 months (95% CI, 11 to 15 months) (P = .004) for those in whom transcripts were detectable. In a multivariate analysis in which other factors predictive of survival were used, RT-PCR for PSA provided independent prognostic information. Conclusion: RT-PCR for PSA predicts survival duration in a population of men with HRPC. J Clin Oncol 19:3025-3028. (C) 2001 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.