Circulating Tumor Cell Analysis in Patients With Localized Prostate Cancer Undergoing Prostatectomy
About This Trial
- This study is testing whether a simple blood test can detect and track cancer cells in the bloodstream before and after surgery, which may help doctors monitor the disease without extra tissue biopsies.
- It is for men with localized prostate cancer that has not spread and who are scheduled to have surgery to remove their prostate at Massachusetts General Hospital.
- Before considering this study, you should know that you cannot take part if you have already received other prostate cancer treatments, such as radiation or hormone therapy, before your operation.
- Participants will have blood drawn at several specific times before and after their planned surgery to see how cancer cell levels change.
More Information
- This study will evaluate a method to detect tumor cells that are circulating in the blood without getting a biopsy.
- The investigators already know from other studies that cancer tumors shed a small number of cells into the bloodstream every day.
- These are called circulating tumor cells (CTCs).
- Some early studies indicate the amount and type of CTCs in the blood can help determine the status of the tumor itself and the way it is responding to treatment.
- In this study, the investigators will compare the number of CTCs in the blood at different time frames before and after surgery to remove the prostate.
Who Can Enroll
- Age Range: 18 years and older
- Gender: Male
- Who This Trial is For: This study is testing whether a simple blood test can detect and track cancer cells in the bloodstream before and after surgery, which may help doctors monitor the disease without extra tissue biopsies.
Study Details
- Start Date: April 2010
- Lead Sponsor: Massachusetts General Hospital
Full Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- Male
- 18 years of age or older
- Pathologically confirmed diagnosis of prostate adenocarcinoma
- Non-metastatic prostate cancer
- Planned radical prostatectomy at Massachusetts General Hospital
Exclusion Criteria
- Patients must not have received prior radiation therapy, hormone therapy, or other medical therapy for prostate cancer prior to prostatectomy. Post-prostatectomy therapy at the discretion of the patient's treating physician(s) is allowed.
- Patients must not have metastatic prostate cancer
- No prior or current diagnosis of epithelial malignancy, except for skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma or basal cell carcinoma)