First clinical results with Enzymun-Test for free PSA.

BACKGROUND

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) is widely used for the detection and monitoring of prostate cancer (CAP) but PSA is elevated in many patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The measurement of free PSA may improve the discrimination between CAP and BPH.

MATERIAL AND

METHODS

Free PSA (F-PSA) and total PSA (T-PSA) were measured using kits based on the Enzymun-Test principle. The patient population was composed of 38 untreated CAP patients, 76 BPH patients and 29 prostatitis patients.

RESULTS

At cut-off levels of 0.15 for the F-PSA/T-PSA ratio and 10 ng/ml for T-PSA the specificity and sensitivity for detecting CAP were respectively 87% and 84% for F-PSA/T-PSA ratio and 80% and 63% for T-PSA.

CONCLUSION

The F-PSA/T-PSA ratio is more powerful at discriminating between CAP and BPH than T-PSA alone and may contribute to a reduction in unnecessary invasive techniques.