Clinical evaluation of immunological methods for detection for serum prostatic acid phosphatase.

Evaluation of serum acid phosphatase by 3 immunochemical methods (radioimmunoassay, counterimmunoelectrophoresis and immunoenzymoassay) was done in 3 groups of patients. In 42 patients wit stage D prostatic carcinoma a comparison of serum acid phosphatase determination by colorimetric assay and the 3 immunochemical methods in samples obtained before and after initiation of therapy showed an excellent correlation among the assays. Presently, we see no advantage of the immunochemical methods over the colorimetric assay in this group of patients. Among 100 patients studied in a blind fashion to detect those with unsuspected prostatic carcinoma no such cases were found. In the last group of patients with localized prostatic carcinoma staged surgically by pelvic lymphadenectomy the only elevations of serum acid phosphatase were observed in patients with extraprostatic involvement.