title: Effect of subclinical prostatic inflammation on serum PSA levels in men with clinically undetectable prostate cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether subclinical prostatic inflammation might influence serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in men with clinically undetectable prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 461 patients who underwent prostate biopsy at our hospital were studied between January 1996 and December 1999. Of these patients, a total of 125 patients without detectable prostate cancer or a history or symptoms of prostatitis, with serum PSA levels of less than 20.0 ng/mL and other specified exclusion criteria, were included in the study. Inflammation observed at biopsy was scored for inflammation extent and inflammatory aggressiveness, and the effects of these morphologic aspects of inflammation on serum PSA levels were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The extent of inflammation tended to increase as the prostate volume increased (P = 0.006). Patients with a PSA greater than 2.5 ng/mL had a greater extent and aggressiveness of inflammation than those with PSA levels of 2.5 ng/mL or less (P = 0.004 and P = 0.050, respectively). However, no statistically significant differences were found in terms of the extent of inflammation or inflammatory aggressiveness between patients with PSA levels greater than 4.0 ng/mL and those with PSA levels of 4.0 ng/mL or less. Furthermore, the extent of inflammation did not account for PSA levels greater than 2.5 or 4.0 ng/mL by multivariate analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that subclinical prostatic inflammation is not the etiology of a serum PSA greater than 4.0 ng/mL in men without clinically detectable prostate cancer.
authors: Department of Urology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors: Cheol
authors: C
authors: Kwak
authors: Ja Hyeon
authors: JH
authors: Ku
authors: Taehun
authors: T
authors: Kim
authors: Dal Woo
authors: DW
authors: Park
authors: Ki Young
authors: KY
authors: Choi
authors: Eunsik
authors: E
authors: Lee
authors: Sang Eun
authors: SE
authors: Lee
authors: Chongwook
authors: C
authors: Lee
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009929:Organ Size; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D011472:Prostatitis / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen