Free and complexed prostate specific antigen in the differentiation of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer: studies in serum and plasma samples.

PURPOSE

We prospectively evaluated serum and plasma concentrations of total and free prostate specific antigen (PSA), and PSA complexed to alpha1-antichymotrypsin in 170 patients who underwent biopsy, including 59 with prostate cancer and 111 with benign prostatic hyperplasia. We compared the usefulness of the ratios of free-to-total and complexed-to-total PSA for distinguishing between prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia, and studied the influence of blood clotting on the ratios.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Blood samples were processed to generate serum and citrated plasma. To calculate complexed-to-total and free-to-total PSA we assayed plasma and serum samples for total and complexed PSA using homemade immunoassays, and total and free PSA using the Immulite assay. The 2 total PSA assays were compared using the Tandem-E PSA assay. Receiver operating characteristics curves were constructed for the total population, and for 2 to 20, 4 to 20, 2 to 10 and 4 to 10 ng./ml. total PSA.

RESULTS

In all groups complexed-to-total PSA had higher specificity than free-to-total and total PSA, especially at 90 to 100% sensitivity. Generally citrated plasma samples provided higher specificity than serum samples for all sensitivity values. The best performance for complexed-to-total and free-to-total PSA was obtained in the subset of patients in whom total PSA was 2 to 10 ng./ml.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results indicate that the complexed-to-total PSA ratio performed better for classifying disease status than the free-to-total PSA ratio in the whole patient population and in the diagnostic gray zone of 2 to 10 ng./ml. In addition, plasma samples should be used to calculate the complexed-to-total and free-to-total PSA ratio.