Isoenzymes in prostate cancer

The human prostate is a rich source of both hydrolytic enzymes that are secreted in seminal plasma and of intracellular enzymes that regulate the metabolism of the glandular epithelium. Prostatic enzymatic activities may be altered both within the prostate and also in other tissues by neoplastic transformation and subsequent metastatic spread. Thus determination of enzymatic activities can be useful in the diagnosis and subsequent clinical evaluation of prostatic carcinoma. In the past, clinical enzymology of the prostate focused primarily on measurement of serum acid and alkaline phosphatase. More recently, however, other enzymes have attracted attention as potential biologic markers of prostatic carcinoma.