The potential of ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor as a biomarker for urine-based noninvasive diagnosis of prostate cancer.

Introduction: Prostate cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in men worldwide, and early detection is essential for improving survival. Current diagnostic methods, such as prostate-specific antigen tests and biopsies, have limitations, emphasizing the need for noninvasive biomarkers.

Methods: Proteomics analysis was performed on urine samples from patients with prostate cancer and healthy individuals to identify differentially expressed proteins. Publicly available datasets, including the National Center for Biotechnology Information Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), were analyzed to validate gene expression patterns and their association with survival outcomes.

Results: Proteomics analysis identified 18 statistically significantly altered proteins in patients with prostate cancer, including reduced expression of ciliary neurotrophic factor receptor (CNTFR). Validation with GEO and TCGA datasets confirmed lower CNTFR expression in prostate cancer tissues than in normal tissues. Reduced CNTFR expression was associated with poorer overall survival and disease-free survival.

Discussion: CNTFR is a promising noninvasive diagnostic biomarker for prostate cancer. Its reduced expression in urine and tissues, along with its association with poor prognosis, highlights its potential for improving prostate cancer diagnosis and outcomes through noninvasive methods.