title: Significance of serum total prostate specific antigen and digital rectal examination in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the significance of serum total prostate specific antigen (tPSA) and digital rectal examination (DRE) in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PC).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and eighteen patients with serum tPSA ranging between 2.5 and 10 ng/ml with lower urinary tract symptoms presented at the Urology Clinic of Soba University Hospital, Khartoum, Sudan from August 2008 and January 2010 were included in the study. Serum tPSA was measured using enzyme immunoassay method, and accordingly, the patients were classified into 2 groups: patients that had tPSA between 2.5-4.0 ng/ml; and patients that had tPSA between 4.1-10 ng/ml. The DRE was performed on all patients by a qualified urologist, and were recorded as a group with suspicion of PC, and a group with no suspicion of PC. All patients underwent transrectal sextant prostate biopsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The DRE alone showed 63.8% sensitivity and 68% specificity with 46.9% positive predictive value (PPV) for the diagnosis of PC. The tPSA test revealed 91.6% sensitivity and 24% specificity with PPV of 34%. However, when combining DRE and tPSA, the sensitivity reached 100% and the specificity increased to 92% with PPV of 49%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Combining DRE and tPSA test increases the sensitivity, specificity, and PPV of PC detection.
authors: Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Al Neelain University, Khartoum, Sudan. Abdrabokarim@hotmail.com
authors: Abdelkarim A
authors: AA
authors: Abdrabo
authors: Adil I
authors: AI
authors: Fadlalla
authors: Imad M
authors: IM
authors: Fadl-Elmula
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010808:Physical Examination; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012007:Rectum
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen