Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Objectives

To discover, characterize, and validate potential biomarkers for the early detection of prostate cancer.

Program Description

Despite major improvements in our ability to detect and stage prostate cancer, we continue to perform diagnostic biopsies unnecessarily on 75% of men with abnormal PSA levels, finding 1:4 with disease, we continue to understage nearly 30% of men with presumed localized disease, and we continue to lack additional clinically validated prostate cancer biomarkers. As the "baby boomer" men reach their 60's, it is anticipated that the number of men over age 50 will increase greatly, reaching 80 million by year 2015. There are nearly 20 million men in the U.S. who have had one negative prostate biopsy yet still are risk for prostate cancer and can no longer rely on PSA as their biomarker of choice. To address these problems, the Center will:

• Continue discovery, characterization and validation of potential biomarkers for the early detection of prostate cancer;
• Accrue patients, archive an impressive and clinically valuable biorepository of specimens, take part in collaborative research within the EDRN, industry and non-EDRN investigators, actively take part in the governance of the EDRN, and publish key biomarker findings;
• Characterize novel tumor markers, conduct preliminary pilot studies of biomarkers, evaluate biomarker technologies, and develop multivariate tumor marker models for complex evaluation of multiple tumor markers.