Reader Comments

Post a new comment on this article

TGFb1 Correlations with PSAR

Posted by sbstrum on 08 Oct 2011 at 14:38 GMT

For the practicing clinician this is a highly important paper for both prognostic and therapeutic reasons. Key frustrations for many of us involved with patient care is the translation of these findings to clinical practice. Ten years ago, Shariat et al published findings on the utility of preoperative plasma TGFbeta 1 levels in predicting PSAR for clinically localized PC. For plasma levels < or = 4.9 ng/ml versus higher than 4.9 ng/ml the PSAR percentages were 10% and 20% lower at 3 years and 5 years, respectively (JCO 19:2856-2864, 2001). These tests were initially clinically available at Baylor Medical Center but widespread commercial availability of such testing never eventuated. The same group also published a nomogram involving the use of TGF beta1 with IL-6 soluble receptor for predicting PSAR (Kattan MW, Shariat SF, Andrews B, et al, JCO 21:3573-3579, 2003) but again, these tests performed per this reference are not commercially available. I would hope that the current article in PLos One does not suffer the same fate as many published papers insofar as never entering the clinical arena. Over my 40 years in medical oncology I have noticed a growing number of potential "tools" added to our proverbial toolbox to help patients, but sadly, way too many of these remain unavailable in the proverbial Al Gore "lock-box". Let's hope that the clinical implications of the paper by Zhang et al move to the front lines of patient care and that translational medicine is not another urban legend.
Stephen B. Strum, MD, FACP
Medical Oncologist Specializing in Prostate Cancer

No competing interests declared.
report a concern respond to this posting