Assessment of Prostate Cells in Semen Using Flow Cytometry, for the Early Detection of Prostate Cancer.

摘要

The goal of this research was to demonstrate the feasibility of using flow cytometry to detect prostate cancer cells in seminal fluid as an important step toward developing a new test for the non-invasive diagnosis of prostate cancer. Results obtained during the first 12 months of the project were promising. Tragically, the Principal Investigator, Dr. Gerald P. Murphy, died in the l6th month of the project period. After Dr. Murphy's death, a reassessment of the technique used to prepare seminal fluid samples for flow cytometry showed that these methods were not adequate for the repeatable detection of prostate cancer cells. As a result, a revised Statement of Work was approved which focused on developing a more robust method of epithelial cell detection in seminal fluid that would overcome sperm interference. Magnetic bead separation improved the recovery of prostate cancer cells from semen, but failed to consistently produce sufficient yield of epithelial cells from patient samples. Fixation of seminal fluid samples, a prerequisite for the practical application of this assay, significantly reduced prostate cell recovery using magnetic bead separation. In summary, our work failed to define conditions necessary to establish seminal fluid analysis using flow cytometry as a reliable assay for the detection of prostate cancer.