Prostate cancer is the most common malignancy in men. While the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) serum biomarker is widely used for early detection of prostate cancer, it offers limited value for prediction of patient survival outcomes. Thymidine kinase 1 (TK1), an enzyme found in actively dividing cells, emerges as a crucial biomarker in this context.
 
Different groups of patients with metastatic prostate cancer were studied with respect to the prognostic value of elevated levels of sTK1. High levels of sTK1 were associated with poor survival in patients with hormone-sensitive tumors treated with anti-hormone therapy. A more than 8-fold increased risk of death was associated with elevated sTK1, also after adjusting for age and other clinical factors, including PSA. A strong correlation between high sTK1 levels and reduced survival was also noted in castration-resistant prostate cancer patients. Interestingly, in patients treated with docetaxel (a chemotherapeutical drug), the association between sTK1 levels and survival was weaker compared to that observed for patients receiving androgen receptor signaling inhibitors.
 
These results confirm previous findings of the potential of sTK1 as a prognostic biomarker. The findings suggest that sTK1 can be used to identify patients with disseminated prostate cancer that will benefit from chemotherapy rather than anti-hormonal treatment.
 
"These are fascinating and promising results. Prostate cancer is the most common disease among men in many parts of the world. The study results show that the serum marker TK1 can guide the choice of drugs for the treatment of patients with metastatic disease," says Professor Stig Linder, scientific advisor at AroCell.

Article link: https://www.sciencedirect.com/