title: Is free/total PSA predictive of pathological stage and Gleason score in patients with prostate cancer and serum PSA<or=10 ng/ml?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To evaluate whether percent free prostate-specific antigen (%-fPSA) could be predictive of pathological stage and Gleason score in patients with prostate cancer (PCa) and serum PSA of 10 ng/ml or less.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 100 patients with total PSA<or=10 ng/ml who underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy as primary treatment of PCa, %-fPSA levels in organ-confined vs. non-organ-confined PCa and in patients with Gleason score<or=or>7 were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  32 patients had an organ-confined and 68 a locally advanced PCa. Median %-fPSA level was 15%; Gleasonscore was <7 in 49 patients, equal to 7 in 40 and >7 in 11. Median %-fPSA levels in PCa with Gleason score<or=or>7 was 14, 15.5 and 15%, respectively. Multiple logistic regression analysis did not show any correlation between %-fPSA in organ-confined vs. non-organ-confined PCa (p=0.4991) either between Gleason score<7 vs. equal to 7 (p=0.588) or >7 (p=0.547).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  %-fPSA cut-off does not seem to be useful for preoperative staging of patients with PCa and serum PSA<or=10 ng/ml.
authors.affiliation: Urology Unit, Cannizzaro Hospital, Catania, and Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiovascular and Nephro-Urological Diseases, University of Palermo, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pepe
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Panella
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pietropaolo
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pennisi
authors.forename: Rosalinda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Allegro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aragona
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen