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The DABBEC Phenotyping System: towards a mechanistic understanding of CP/CPPS

Nature Reviews Urology volume 8, pages 107–113 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

There is an urgent need to elucidate the mechanistic basis of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS), as the current methods of symptom-based diagnosis and treatment have failed. Here, we propose a phenotyping system that bridges the gap between the symptom-based diagnosis and treatment of the present and the mechanistic approach of the future. Our phenotyping system uses the Chronic Prostatitis Collaborative Research Network (CPCRN)-recommended algorithm in combination with the NIH Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) as a basis for diagnosis, while incorporating novel domains for quantitative assessment and stratification of CP/CPPS patients. We believe this novel system will serve to help advance our understanding of the roles of the patient's genome and proteome in the etiology of CP/CPPS. We predict that, as we begin to understand the mechanistic basis of CP/CPPS pathology and progression, we will develop specific treatments that will aim to cure the disease, rather than merely quell the symptoms.

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Figure 1: The open-hidden study design.
Figure 2: The delayed-start study design.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, 02115, MA, USA

    Stephen A. Allsop, Derek J. Erstad, Karolina Brook, Salman F. Bhai, Jeffrey M. Cohen & Jordan D. Dimitrakoff

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  2. Derek J. Erstad
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All authors contributed equally to researching data for the article, discussing its content, writing and review/editing of the manuscript before publication.

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Correspondence to Jordan D. Dimitrakoff.

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Allsop, S., Erstad, D., Brook, K. et al. The DABBEC Phenotyping System: towards a mechanistic understanding of CP/CPPS. Nat Rev Urol 8, 107–113 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrurol.2010.227

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