title: Measurement of serum total and free prostate-specific antigen in women with colorectal carcinoma.
abstract: We investigated the diagnostic value and the relationship with clinicopathological features of total and free prostate-specific antigen by measuring the concentrations of these markers in the sera of 75 women with colorectal carcinoma and in 30 healthy women. Measurements were performed by immunoradiometric assay which utilizes monoclonal and polyclonal anti-prostate-specific antigen antibodies; the lowest detection level for both markers was 0.01 ng ml(-1). Free prostate-specific antigen levels were significantly higher in women with colorectal carcinoma than healthy women (P=0.006). The percentage of free prostate-specific antigen predominant (free prostate-specific antigen/total prostate-specific antigen >50%) subjects was 20% in colorectal carcinoma patients and 3.3% in healthy women (P=0.035). Cut-off values were 0.34 ng ml(-1) for total prostate-specific antigen and 0.01 ng ml(-1) for free prostate-specific antigen. In women with colorectal carcinoma, total prostate-specific antigen positivity was 20% and free prostate-specific antigen positivity was 34.6%. When compared to negatives, total prostate-specific antigen positive patients had a lower percentage of well-differentiated (P=0.056) and early stage (stages I and II) tumours (P=0.070). However, patients with predominant free prostate-specific antigen, had a higher percentage of well-differentiated (P=0.014) and early stage tumours (P=0.090) than patients with predominant bound prostate-specific antigen. In conclusion, although the sensitivity of free prostate-specific antigen predominancy is low (20%), in distinguishing women with colorectal carcinoma than healthy women, its specificity is high (96.7%). Free prostate-specific antigen predominancy tends to be present in less aggressive tumours. These findings may indicate clinical significance of preoperative measurement of serum total and free prostate-specific antigen in women with colorectal carcinoma.
authors.affiliation: Fifth Department of Surgery, SSK Okmeydani Training Hospital, PO Box 80434, Istanbul, Turkey. nduraker@hotmail.com
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Duraker
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Can
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parilti
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen