Methylation of SRD5A2 in the Blood as a Novel Biomarker to Predict Sensitivity to 5-ARI Treatment

The study investigates the potential of SRD5A2 methylation in blood as a biomarker to predict sensitivity to finasteride treatment in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Using prostate biopsy tissue and clinical data from 83 patients in the MTOPS trial, the researchers found that higher SRD5A2 protein expression correlated with a better clinical response to finasteride. Additionally, in a separate cohort of 11 participants, SRD5A2 protein expression was negatively correlated with prostate tissue methylation and positively correlated with peripheral white blood cell (WBC) methylation and ferumoxytol uptake on MRI. These findings suggest that assessing SRD5A2 methylation in peripheral WBCs or using ferumoxytol-enhanced MRI could serve as non-invasive methods to predict a patient's response to finasteride therapy.