Detecção molecular de espécie de fungo em amostras de sangue de pacientes com câncer de próstata

Abstract

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common malignant neoplasm among men worldwide and, in most cases, is diagnosed at an advanced stage, especially in countries with a low Human Development Index. Consequently, the prognosis of the disease is unfavorable, with significant mortality rates, emphasizing the need for new screening and diagnostic approaches. Recent studies have demonstrated the role of the microbiome in the onset and progression of PCa; however, fungal species have not yet been correlated with the disease. In this study, we aimed to detect and evaluate the clinical potential of fungal species in blood samples from patients with PCa and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). To this end, analyses were conducted using databases from Harvard University, Washington, MIT, and North Carolina to select species associated with PCa. Primers were designed for Malassezia globosa, and qPCR reactions were performed on blood samples from patients with PCa (n = 40) and BPH (n = 32). M. globosa did not differentiate patients with PCa from those with BPH, and no statistically significant correlations were observed with age, preoperative PSA of 4 ng/mL, Gleason score, or TNM staging. However, the presence of the fungus was statistically higher in patients with preoperative PSA > 10 ng/mL (p = 0.0108). These findings are pioneering in demonstrating an association between M. globosa and elevated preoperative PSA levels in PCa. Thus, studies focused on characterizing the prostatic mycobiome may open new pathways for understanding the disease and for the development of clinically applicable strategies.