Abstract [eng] |
Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies worldwide. sPD-1 and sPD-L1 molecules are poorly characterised in prostate cancer, but these molecules may provide new insights into disease progression and prognosis. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of circulating sPD-1, sPD-L1 and immune parameters in prostate cancer patients. The goals of the study were to determine the changes in sPD-1 and sPD-L1 protein levels in plasma of prostate cancer patients before and after surgery, to evaluate the prognostic significance of sPD-L1 and sPD-L1 molecules on disease recurrence and tumour aggressiveness, to determine the relationship between sPD-1 and immune parameters, and to analyze the association between sPD-L1 and immune parameters in patients with favourable and unfavourable prognosis. sPD-1 and sPD-L1 levels were determined by ELISA method, and flow cytometry was used to assess the patients' immunological profiles. The resulting sPD-1 and sPD-L1 concentrations were integrated with the results of the cytometry analysis and the patients' clinical data. The levels of sPD-L1 and sPD-1 detected in the blood of prostate cancer patients were higher than those of healthy controls. High serum sPD-L1 concentrations were associated with poorer progression-free survival and higher Gleason scores. Also, sPD-L1 levels showed a strong correlation with Treg and MDSC cells in the biochemical recurrence group. Furthermore, although sPD-1 was not associated with progression-free survival, the association of sPD-1 with patients' pathological stage and NK cell count suggests a possible link with immunosuppressive mechanisms in the tumour microenvironment. These results suggest that these molecules may be useful as diagnostic biomarkers and that sPD-L1 proteins in the blood of prostate cancer patients may be a marker of disease aggressiveness. |