The application of peripheral blood biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer and its value to evaluate malignancy

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the difference of the application of peripheral blood biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of prostate cancer. Methods: Clinical data of 126 patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and 34 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in National Cancer Hospital between January 2015 and December 2016 was retrospectively collected. Logistic regression and ROC curves were used to explore the diagnostic value of markers in peripheral blood. The differences of markers were analyzed according to the malignant degree of prostate cancer. Results: The results of ROC curve to distinguish BPH and PCa showed showed that the AUC of tPSA, fPSA/tPSA and PLR were the largest. The results of Logistic regression and ROC curve analysis of combined markers showed that the diagnostic efficiency of tPSA and fPSA/tPSA combined analysis was the best with AUC = 0.76. Comparisons among different degrees of malignant groups in 126 patients with PCa, PLR and NLR in peripheral blood showed significant differences among different tPSA and clinical classifications (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in LDH among different degree of malignant groups. Conclusion: Our results suggested that combined-analysis of tPSA and fPSA/tPSA had the best diagnostic efficiency for BPH and PCa. PLR and NLR in peripheral blood can assist tPSA, Gleason scoring and clinical staging to assess the malignancy of prostate cancer and have potenialpositive effects on evaluating malignancy. (authors)