New tool to determine the risk of prostate cancer death

In this article researchers are trying to find out what your chances of dying from prostate cancer are so that you can make a better choice on treatment. A radical prostatectomy could be avoided by some.....  

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have identified a new prognostic biomarker: the neuropeptide pro-NPY, which may help determine the risk of dying from prostate cancer. This particular type of protein is very specific to prostate cancer cells and could help identify whether newly diagnosed patients require radical prostatectomy surgery or if it is safe to delay surgery.

Using mass spectrometry, the researchers measured concentration changes in thousands of proteins in both normal and tumour tissue from prostate cancer. They discovered that in comparison to normal tissue, the prostate tumors exhibit numerous metabolic alterations including exacerbated activity of mitochondria. 

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