[Clinical usefulness of blood PICP, PINP and ICTP concentrations as bone metastasis markers in prostate cancer patients].

PICP and PINP are considered markers of bone formation, and ICTP is considered to be a marker of bone resorption. We measured these three markers as indicators of bone metastasis of prostatic cancer, and assessed their clinical usefulness. Serum PICP, PINP and ICTP were significant higher in patients with bone metastasis than localized cancer or controlled bone metastasis. Serum PSA increased initially with the LH-RH agonist during the course of bone metastasis. All these markers were subsequently observed to increase. Change in PICP of patients with bone metastasis was slight compared to PINP during endocrine treatment. Serum PICP, PINP and ICTP reflect the extent of metastasis in bone and are useful for monitoring the response of this condition to therapy.