Abstract
Background: Prostate cancer is a leading cause of cancer related death in men but its diagnosis is still complicated by the lack of a highly predictive biochemical marker. Here we show that the transcription factor Engrailed-2 is secreted from prostate tumours in a highly specific manner and is present in the urine of men with prostate cancer. Methods: Urine was collected under standardised conditions from men with prostate cancer, or with non-cancerous conditions of the prostate such as benign prostatic hypertrophy, or men who were found to have no prostate abnormalities after saturation biopsy. Results: Engrailed-2 protein was detected in the untreated, unconcentrated urine of 62% of men with prostate cancer, but only 3% of men with no prostatic abnormalities (n=258, p<0.001). Conclusions: Thus Engrailed-2 is a potential diagnostic marker for prostate cancer.