New Prostate Cancer Discovery Helps Doctors Predict Disease Progression

Good news for prostate cancer patients – studies have found an indicator within prostate cancer patients that can help doctors predict which patients are more apt to experience cancer that spreads quickly or recurs.

Prostate cancer tends to act differently from patient to patient. Some patients experience a slow disease progression that yields no serious symptoms, while others experience a rapidly progressing disease that quickly spreads to other organs and is fatal. If you have prostate cancer, wouldn’t you like to be more prepared for the future?

A protein in the body, CD151, seems to be the key. This protein, one that assists cancer cell movement throughout the body, appears to act differently depending on disease progression. A study of 137 prostate cancer patients in Canada over the past 12 years concluded that if subjects tested positive for a type of the CD151 protein, “CD151free,” the cancer turned out to be a more serious condition, as it returned and spread faster than those without identifiable levels of CD151free.

This discovery allows doctors and patients to better prepare for the disease and necessary course of treatment. Are you at risk? Talk to your doctor about getting checked for prostate cancer today.