A new identified marker for prostate cancer appears protective against advanced disease

University of Michigan researchers say a newly identified marker for prostate cancer progression may also offer a new target for treatment,

According to previous research decreased levels of the marker galectin-3 are linked with neoplastic progression in prostate cancer. However, increased levels of galectin-3 are believed to be linked with tumorigenicity in a number of other tumor types.

The University of Michigan team believed this difference was due to the fact that galectin-3 was cleaved during prostate cancer progression. Their study found that cleaved galectin-3 is present in a late-stage prostate cancer and that reducing levels of galectin-3 inhibited development of metastatic prostate cancer.

The findings suggest that cleaved galectin-3 may serve as a diagnostic marker and treatment target for prostate cancer progression.

The study appears in the April issue of The American Journal of Pathology.