acid-phosphatase and Urinary-Retention

To compare the relative sensitivity and specificity of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a test for prostate cancer over a range of PSA values in a variety of patient groups, and to compare the sensitivity and specificity of PSA and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP).. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (sensitivity plotted against 1-specificity) were constructed to compare the ability of PSA to discriminate men with prostate cancer (n = 257) from those with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) (n = 220) or control patients (n = 164). Receiver operating characteristic curves were also constructed to compare PSA and PAP in 173 men with either BPH or prostate cancer.. When patients with symptomatic BPH and those with advanced prostate cancer are excluded, a PSA of 8 ng/mL has a sensitivity of 94% and a specificity of 98% for prostate cancer. In patients presenting with symptoms suggestive of bladder outflow obstruction, PSA remains a sensitive marker for prostate cancer (93% sensitivity at 10 ng/mL) but its specificity (65%) is poor. PSA is a sensitive test for skeletal metastases but levels of 60-80 ng/mL are required to achieve a specificity of 70% or more. The sensitivity of PSA is far superior to that of PAP.. Serum PSA provides good discrimination between patients with and without prostate cancer. The sensitivity and specificity of PSA can be improved by excluding men with symptomatic BPH. The specificity of PSA as a diagnostic test for prostate cancer is reduced in men with symptoms of bladder outflow obstruction. For reasonable sensitivity and specificity, a PSA of 60-80 ng/mL is required for differentiating non-metastatic from metastatic prostate cancer. The ROC curve comparing PSA and PAP provides a graphical demonstration of the superiority of PSA as a tumour marker. The ability of PSA to identify prostate cancer can be improved by selecting out groups of patients and by adjusting the cut-off level of PSA to the population under study.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Biomarkers; Bone Neoplasms; Humans; Male; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatic Hyperplasia; Prostatic Neoplasms; Sensitivity and Specificity; Urinary Bladder Diseases; Urinary Retention

A total of 133 patients underwent transperineal ultrasound-guided iodine 125 seed implantation for Stages A and B prostate cancer with a twenty-seven-month follow-up. There has been no mortality and our morbidity is no more than experienced after transurethral resection of the prostate. By using a Mick applicator our operating time is well under one hour, and our patients go home the same day without a Foley catheter. Our results indicate that patients with PSA values of less than 20 ng/mL (Yang method) and/or Gleason scores of 6 or less are excellent candidates for brachytherapy. By subdividing the percentage of normal PSA values in the follow-up periods according to the patient's original PSA value, further credence is given to the PSA value as a strong aid in staging when the Gleason score is 6 or less. Although the follow-up at twenty-seven months is small, our preliminary results indicate that brachytherapy is a viable option to radical surgery in those patients who are not good candidates for surgery or who prefer nonsurgical treatment.

Topics: Acid Phosphatase; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antigens, Neoplasm; Biomarkers, Tumor; Brachytherapy; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Iodine Radioisotopes; Male; Middle Aged; Prostate-Specific Antigen; Prostatic Neoplasms; Time Factors; Ultrasonography; Urinary Retention