Abstract B43: Identification of prognostic markers for prostate cancer by serum profiling with a carbohydrate antigen microarray

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate carbohydrate antigen array technology as a tool for identifying anti-glycan antibodies in human sera with potential as prognostic markers for prostate cancer. Methods: A carbohydrate antigen array, or glycan array, containing 220 different glycans and glycoproteins was used to profile the anti-glycan antibody repertoire in sera from 29 prostate cancer patients. The Halabi nomogram was used to predict the survival for each patient. Relationships between antibody levels and the Halabi predicted survival were evaluated as a means to identify potential prognostic markers. Results: A number of anti-glycan antibodies found in sera showed statistically significant correlations with the predicted survival for prostate cancer patients. Some examples include fucose-alpha (p = 0.009), fucosebeta (p = 0.023), Sialyl Lewis X (p = 0.014), and the Tn antigen (p = 0.022). For each of these antigens, higher antibody levels were associated with shorter predicted survival. Conclusions: Anti-glycan antibodies have potential as prognostic markers for prostate cancer, and, based on the preliminary data, larger and more detailed studies are warranted. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(12 Suppl):B43.