Tomlins Men with Elevated Serum PSA Fusion Transcript Stratifies Prostate Cancer Risk in TMPRSS 2 : ERG Urine

features, urine TMPRSS2:ERG+PCA3 might also inform the urgency of biopsy after PSA screening. of TMPRSS2:ERG+PCA3 had different risks of cancer on biopsy; in combination with other clinicopathological an important step in streamlining diagnosis and treatment. Moreover, men with extremes −− significant prostate cancer colleagues demonstrated more accurate, individualized stratification of men at high risk for developing clinically cancer-specific fusion TMPRSS2:ERG score with levels of PSA (in serum) and PCA3 (in urine), Tomlins and thus demonstrating clinical utility. Who said you can't teach an old gene fusion new tricks? By combining the calculator, TMPRSS2:ERG+PCA3 improved the performance of the multivariate Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial risk authors combined the TMPRSS2:ERG score with the level of prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3) in urine. score was linked to the presence of cancer, tumor volume, and clinically significant cancer in patients. Then, the this generated a TMPRSS2:ERG ''score.'' Urine TMPRSS2:ERG −− amplification assay for quantifying fusion mRNA presence of TMPRSS2:ERG mRNA in urine. First, they developed a clinical-grade, transcription-mediated cancers. The protein product of this fusion cannot be detected in serum, so the authors decided to test for the (avian) (ERG) gene, known as TMPRSS2:ERG, is overexpressed in more than 50% of PSA-screened prostate transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2) gene and the v-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog cohorts based on risk for developing the disease. Recently, it was discovered that the fusion of two genes, the the PSA test by taking a new twist on a known gene fusion, using it to stratify more than 1000 men in two multicenter disease in 2011), it is clear that a more accurate test for prostate cancer is needed. Here, Tomlins et al. improve on Because of the high prevalence of prostate cancer (it is estimated that nearly 250,000 men will be diagnosed with the contribute to high levels of PSA, resulting in a ''false-positive'' and subsequent overdiagnosis and overtreatment. recommended for definitive diagnosis. This test is not perfect; benign conditions, such as an enlarged prostate, can level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in the blood, and if that level is above a predefined cutoff, a biopsy is The ''PSA test'' is a routine test for men over the age of 50 or for those at risk for prostate cancer. It measures the