OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of prostate cancer antigen-1 (PCA-1) in different prostate tissues and analyze its correlation with the clinical parameters of prostate cancer (PCa).

METHODSThe expression of PCA-1 mRNA was detected by RT-PCR in the samples from 45 cases of PCa with various clinico-pathologic characteristics, 30 cases of high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HG-PIN), 43 cases of BPH and 39 cases of other carcinoma tissues. The correlation of PCA-1 mRNA expression with the clinical parameters of PCa was statistically analyzed and the PCA-1 expression was examined in different samples by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe positive expression rate of PCA-1 mRNA was 88.9% and 60.0% and that of PCA-1 protein was 84.4% and 50.0% in the patients with PCa and HG-PIN, respectively. PCA-1 mRNA and PCA-1 proteins were not expressed in the BPH and other carcinoma tissues. The expression of PCA-1 mRNA was unrelated with the clinical parameters of PCa (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIt is suggested that PCA-1 is a PCa-specific gene and its expression is unrelated to the clinical parameters of PCa. It might serve as a specific biomarker for the early diagnosis of PCa.