Unveiling the Dichotomy of Urinary Proteins: Diagnostic Insights into Breast and Prostate Cancer and Their Roles

Abstract

This review covers the diagnostic potential of urinary biomarkers, shedding light on their linkage to cancer progression. Urinary biomarkers offer non-invasive avenues for detecting cancers, potentially bypassing the invasiveness of biopsies. The investigation focuses primarily on breast and prostate cancers due to their prevalence among women and men, respectively. The intricate interplay of urinary proteins is explored, revealing a landscape where proteins exhibit context-dependent behaviors. The review highlights the potential impact of physical activity on urinary proteins, suggesting its influence on tumorigenic behaviors. Exercise-conditioned urine may emerge as a potential diagnostic biomarker source. Furthermore, treatment effects, notably after lumpectomy and prostatectomy, induce shifts in the urinary proteome, indicating therapeutic impacts rather than activating oncogenic signaling. The review suggests further investigations into the double-sided, context-dependent nature of urinary proteins, the potential role of post-translational modifications (PTM), and the integration of non-protein markers like mRNA and metabolites. It also discusses a linkage of urinary proteomes with secretomes from induced tumor-suppressing cells (iTSCs). Despite challenges like cancer heterogeneity and sample variability due to age, diet, and comorbidities, harnessing urinary proteins and proteoforms may hold promise for advancing our understanding of cancer progressions, as well as the diagnostic and therapeutic role of urinary proteins.

Transcription Factors in Prostate Cancer: Insights for Disease Development and Diagnostic and Therapeutic Approaches

“…Applications of SPDEF in Prostate Cancer Detection SPDEF plays a crucial role in regulating genes associated with PCa progression and metastasis, making it a potential biomarker for risk stratification and treatment decisions. For instance, the detection of TMPRSS2 (Transmembrane Protease Serine 2) linked to SPDEF in urine can be an indicator of the aggressiveness and metastatic potential of PCa tumors [35,36].…”

“…RNA expression of SPDEF, ERG, and Prostate Cancer Antigen 3 (PCA3) detected in urine samples outperformed mainstream markers in the prediction of PCa with high sensitivity and specificity to PCa [37]. The RNA levels of these same genes (SPDEF, ERG, and PCA3) when isolated from urine-derived exosomes can be used to predict the probability of a high-grade PCa without the necessity of a digital rectal exam (DRE) [36,[38][39][40][41]. The evaluation of these markers allied with the standard clinical criteria analysis increased by 30% the detection of high-grade PCa, thus improving patient stratification and medical practitioners' decision making [42].…”