Prostate cancer is the second most common form of cancer among men in Croatia, and early detection and the adoption of new treatment trends are essential for increasing recovery and survival from this disease. The clinically most accepted biomarker for the diagnosis of prostate cancer is PSA (prostate-specific antigen), a serine protease produced by the epithelial cells of the prostate, and whose levels are usually elevated in patients with prostate cancer. However, PSA is also elevated in latent prostate tumors that often do not develop into disease, as well as in benign conditions such as inflammation or hyperplasia. The lack of specificity of PSA results in overdiagnosis, with the rate estimated to be as high as 42 percent. PSA is also used to monitor disease progression, although its levels often do not correlate with the severity of the disease. Due to the insufficient specificity of PSA as a diagnostic and prognostic marker, efforts are being made to find alternative biomarkers for prostate cancer.

The assumption is that the level of alpha satellite RNA in the blood cells of patients with prostate cancer may serve as a diagnostic/prognostic molecular marker for prostate cancer. Preliminary results show a statistically significant difference in the level of alpha satellite RNA between the control group and the patient group. However, it is necessary to analyze a significantly larger number of samples in order to confirm alpha satellite RNA as a diagnostic/prognostic biomarker for prostate cancer, which would allow for the diagnosis and monitoring of disease progression through a simple blood test. The results would also confirm the discovery of a new form of regulation of satellite DNA expression in blood cells induced by biotic stress and encourage further research. The research will be conducted in collaboration with the Clinic for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine of the Sisters of Mercy Clinical Hospital Center and the Ruđer Bošković Institute, which possess significant expertise in the field of oncology, specifically in the functional analysis of satellite DNA.