Determination of serum prostate-specific antigen-alpha1-antichymotrypsin complex for diagnosis of prostate cancer in Japanese cases.
OBJECTIVE
The clinical utility of the determination of serum prostate-specific antigen-alpha1-antichymotrypsin complex (PSA-ACT) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer, especially in cases in the diagnostic gray zone, is still unclear.


METHODS
With the use of a newly approved enzyme immunoassay for the detection of PSA-ACT, 907 sera, including those from non-urological benign and malignant diseases, were analysed.


RESULTS
Serum values of PSA-ACT in non-prostate cancer males increased according to age from the 40s to 70s. The serum values were high only in the patients with prostatic diseases and, in prostate cancer patients, the values became high as the clinical stage progressed. By receiver-operating characteristic analysis significantly better results in PSA-ACT than total PSA were observed. In the group with a total PSA of 2-20 ng/ml, the detection of PSA-ACT showed better results, although not significantly so, than the free-to-total PSA ratio.


CONCLUSIONS
The detection of PSA-ACT showed a high clinical utility in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Therefore, it may replace total PSA determination.
Kuriyama
M
M
Department of Urology, Gifu University School of Medicine, Japan. mkuriyam-gif@umin.ac.jp
Abrahamsson
P A
PA
Imai
K
K
Akimoto
S
S
Deguchi
N
N
Shichiri
Y
Y
Sugiyama
Y
Y
Niwa
T
T
Inoue
T
T
D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011336:Probability; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D000514:alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin / Q000097:blood*
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D000514:alpha 1-Antichymotrypsin; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen