THE VALUE OF A REVERSE TRANSCRIPTASE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION ASSAY IN PREOPERATIVE STAGING AND FOLLOWUP OF PATIENTS WITH PROSTATE CANCER

Abstract

The PSA RT-PCR test in our laboratory cannot be used preoperatively to predict pathological stage of prostate cancer or treatment failure. Most cases that are positive preoperatively become negative postoperatively. While increasing tumor burden increases the likelihood of positive tests, there appears to be significant sampling error associated with the use of this test in the peripheral blood.