title: Plasma chromogranin A in patients with prostate cancer improves the diagnostic efficacy of free/total prostate-specific antigen determination.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  We ascertained whether plasma chromogranin A enhances the power of serology assessing prostate cancer (PC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 56 PC and 83 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients. In the sera we measured total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) and free PSA (fPSA) and calculated the ratio between fPSA and tPSA (f/tPSA). In plasma samples the levels of chromogranin A (CgA) were also assayed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PC patients had higher CgA (p < 0.005) and tPSA (p < 0.05) levels, and a lower f/tPSA ratio (p < 0.001), than BPH patients. When f/tPSA and CgA were combined, the diagnostic sensitivity was enhanced (57-73%), while the specificity had only an 8% reduction (from 89 to 80%). CgA was only correlated to the Gleason PC score (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CgA determination in PC may enhance the diagnostic accuracy of the f/tPSA assay and provides useful information on the tumor grade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University of Padova, Padova, Italy. simonetta.fracalanza@unipd.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fracalanza
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Prayer-Galetti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Navaglia
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciaccia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plebani
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pagano
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Basso
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D012372:ROC Curve; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C506150:CHGA protein, human; D053379:Chromogranin A; D002864:Chromogranins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen