Prostate-specific antigen and prostatitis in men under fifty.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the occurrence of increased prostate-specific antigen (PSA) serum concentration in patients with prostatitis and low incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostatic cancer, PSA was measured in a selected population.

METHODS

PSA levels were evaluated in 72 patients with prostatitis under 50 years of age.

RESULTS

An increased PSA (> 4 ng/ml) was found in 5/7 (71%) patients with acute prostatitis, and in 2/13 (15%) and 2/32 (6%) patients with chronic bacterial and abacterial prostatitis, respectively. No patient with prostatodynia had an increased PSA. In patients with bacterial prostatitis PSA level decreased to normal value after effective antibiotic therapy in most cases.

CONCLUSION

Prostatitis must be considered when using PSA as tumor marker.