We hypothesized that men with apparently clinically localized CaP harboring occult metastases would also have elevated plasma levels of components of the uPA system of plasminogen activation that would be associated with a higher risk of biochemical progression despite effective local control of disease. Therefore, to determine the relationship of the major components of the uPA system with established markers of CaP presence, invasion, metastasis, and progression, we studied pre- and postoperative plasma levels of uPA and uPAR in patients with clinically localized CaP who underwent radical prostatectomy, patients with CaP metastases to regional lymph nodes, patients with newly diagnosed CaP metastases to bone, and healthy men. The availability of pre- and …show more content…
Postoperative plasma samples were collected between 6 and 8 weeks after surgery. Blood was collected into Vacutainer CPT tubes (Becton Dickinson, Franklin Lakes, NJ) containing sodium citrate anticoagulant and centrifuged at room temperature for 20 minutes at 1,500g. The top layer, corresponding to diluted plasma, was decanted using sterile transfer pipettes and immediately frozen and stored at 80°C in polypropylene cryopreservation vials (Nalge Nunc, Rochester, NY). For quantitative measurements of serum and plasma uPA, uPAR, and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 2 (PAI-2) levels,weused specific quantitative sandwich enzyme immunoassays (American Diagnostica, Greenwich, CT). Circulating levels of uPA and uPAR were higher in patients with CaP compared with healthy controls and decreased significantly after radical prostatectomy. In patients with CaP, plasma levels of uPA and uPAR were both higher in patients with CaP metastatic to bones than in patients with metastases to regional lymph nodes, who in turn had higher levels than patients with nonmetastatic CaP. Among