Background: Prostate cancer is the most frequent new cancer diagnosis in the western world today. There is an urgent need to obtain validated molecular markers that can identify clinically significant prostate cancer.
Material and methods: The article represents our view of the current status of molecular markers in diagnosis of prostate cancer based on literature searches (PubMed).
Results and interpretation: Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a sensitive serum marker for pathology in the prostate (cancer, infection, benign hyperplasia). The level of PSA, however, is poorly correlated with grade and stage of prostate cancer. Genomic and proteomic methodology has recently been used to discover more then 200 putative new markers for prostate cancer like alpha-methylacyl CoA racemase (AMACR), hepsin, glutathione S-transferase pi, EZH2 and DD3(PCA3). To date, none of these markers have been adequately validated for clinical use. Knowledge about the role of these candidates in prostate cancer biology and evaluation of their correlation to clinical parameters will be of importance in the validation process.