title: Role of prostate-specific antigen density after applying age-specific prostate-specific antigen reference ranges.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the potential role of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) density (PSAD) in the early detection of prostate carcinoma if we apply age-specific PSA reference ranges (2.5 ng/mL or less for ages 40 to 49 years, 3.5 or less for ages 50 to 59, 4.5 or less for ages 60 to 69, and 6.5 or less for ages 70 to 79.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively reviewed 3234 cases referred to us by urologists for transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) between January 1, 1991, and September 28, 1993. We included 2429 patients in the study, ages 40 to 79 years, with Hybritech or Abbott IMx serum PSA determinations and without previously diagnosed prostate cancer. We performed digital rectal examination (DRE) and TRUS in all cases, and TRUS-guided biopsies when indicated. We used stringent criteria to define 736 cases without clinical evidence of malignancy that were designated as a "benign group."
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the benign group, we found serum PSA to increase with age in parallel with the increase in prostate volume with age (r = 0.25 and r = 0.26, respectively). The association between serum PSA and prostate volume was stronger (r = 0.46). Using multiple regression analysis, prostate volume accounted for 18% of the variation in serum PSA, whereas age accounted for only an additional 2%. PSAD, which directly relates serum PSA to prostate volume, showed a weak association with age (r = 0.1). In the entire study population of 2429 cases, 555 patients had negative DRE and TRUS results and a serum PSA level between the age-specific upper limit of normal and 10.0 ng/mL. According to the proposed age-specific algorithm, these patients would have required automatic biopsies. Of these, 315 cases (56.8%) still had a PSAD of less than 0.15. We performed biopsies in 108 of these 315 and detected only two cancers, for a positive biopsy rate (PBR) of 1.9%. The remaining 240 cases had a PSAD of 0.15 or higher, and we performed biopsies in 217 of these cases and detected 59 cancers, for a PBR of 27.2%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of age-specific PSA reference ranges does not totally account for the effect of prostate volume on serum PSA. Therefore PSAD can still be used to reduce safely the number of biopsies performed in patients with negative DRE and TRUS results and a serum PSA level 10.0 ng/mL or less and above the age-specific upper limit of normal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Meshref
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bazinet
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trudel
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aronson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Peloquin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nachabe
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dessureault
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Aprikian
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Begin
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Elhilali
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology*; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen