Prostate cancer-associated antigen (PCA) (PCA)

Prostate cancer-associated antigens (PCAs) are a heterogeneous group of proteins that exhibit high expression levels in prostate malignant tissues, serving as essential tools for the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. The most prominent members include Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA), Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA), and Prostatic Acid Phosphatase (PAP) [PMID: 32833877]. PSA is a serine protease primarily utilized as a clinical biomarker for disease screening and monitoring [UniProt P07288]. PSMA is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein with enzymatic activity that is significantly upregulated in metastatic disease, making it a primary target for radioligand therapies such as Lutetium (177Lu) vipivotide tetraxetan [PMID: 34133852]. PAP was the first antigen targeted by an FDA-approved cellular immunotherapy, Sipuleucel-T, designed to induce a T-cell response against prostate cancer cells [PMID: 20671328]. Other emerging targets in this class include Prostate Stem Cell Antigen (PSCA) and Six-Transmembrane Epithelial Antigen of the Prostate 1 (STEAP1), which are being investigated for antibody-based and CAR-T therapies [PMID: 30215579].

Other names

Prostate-specific antigensProstate tumor-associated antigensProstate cancer markersProstate-specific membrane antigenProstate-specific antigenProstatic acid phosphatase

Radioligand therapy, autologous cellular immunotherapy, and diagnostic imaging via targeted radiotracer binding.