Abstract
Background
Metastatic disease burden out of proportion to serum PSA has been used as a marker of aggressive phenotype prostate cancer but is not well defined as a distinct subgroup. We sought to prospectively characterize the molecular features and clinical outcomes of Low PSA Secretors.
Methods
Eligible metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients without prior small cell histology underwent metastatic tumor biopsy with molecular characterization. Low PSA secretion was defined as serum PSA < 2, 5, or 10 ng/mL plus >5 metastases with radiographic progression at study entry. Clinical and molecular features were compared between low PSA vs. normal secretors in a post-hoc fashion.
Results
183 patients were enrolled, including 15 (8%) identified as Low PSA Secretors using optimal PSA cut point of 5 ng/mL. Biopsies from Low PSA Secretors demonstrated higher t-SCNC and RB1 loss and lower AR transcriptional signature scores compared with normal secretors. Genomic loss of RB1 and/or TP53 was more common in Low PSA Secretors (80% vs. 41%). Overall survival (OS) was shorter in Low PSA Secretors (median OS = 26.7 vs. 46.0 months, hazard ratio = 2.465 (95% CI: 0.982–6.183). Progression-free survival (PFS) on post-biopsy treatment with AR-targeted therapy was shorter than with chemotherapy (median PFS 6.2 vs. 4.1 months).
Conclusions
Low PSA secretion in relation to metastatic tumor burden may be a readily available clinical selection tool for de-differentiated mCRPC with molecular features consistent with t-SCNC. Prospective validation is warranted.
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Acknowledgements
This research was supported in part by a Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team award, funded by the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Movember, and Stand up to Cancer, grant number SU2C-AACR-DT0812 (PI: EJS). The authors thank Karen Knudsen and Christopher McNair for providing a RB1 loss signature [21] for application to the transcriptome.
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Aggarwal, R., Romero, G.R., Friedl, V. et al. Clinical and genomic characterization of Low PSA Secretors: a unique subset of metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis 24, 81–87 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41391-020-0228-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41391-020-0228-0
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