Enzyme immunoassay for the prostate-specific acid phosphatase (E. C. 3.1.3.2).

The clinical application of enzyme immunoassay for the determination of the prostate-specific acid phosphatase is reported. 227 sera were investigated in the diagnosis as well as in tumour monitoring and a good correlation with the clinical stage was found. In prostatic carcinomas 5 of 13 with stage T1, 11 or 12 patients with stage T2, 16 of 16 patients with T3 and 19 of 19 patients with stage T4 disease had values above 1 ng/ml. In prostatic adenomas (n = 69) in prostatitis (n = 40) and in other carcinomas of the urogenital tract (n = 28), renal carcinomas, carcinomas of the bladder and the penis) the values of the prostate-specific acid phosphatase measured by the enzyme immunoassay 131 of 137 were under 1 ng/ml. A comparison of random samples with the radioimmunoassay for this enzyme showed good correlation.