Serum level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in women with breast cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the diagnostic role of total and free prostate-specific antigen (TPSA and FPSA) in breast cancer in women.


METHODS
Blood samples of 55 women with breast cancer were prospectively analyzed for PSA before and after breast surgery, with a control group of 82 healthy women.


RESULTS
Total and free PSA levels were significantly higher in women with breast cancer (preoperatively) than in healthy women (P<0.001). Both serum TPSA and FPSA showed a significant decline in their pre-surgical values after surgical removal of the tumor (P<0.001). A significant proportion of breast cancer patients (83.6%) had free PSA as the predominant molecular form in serum as compared to 0% of controls and 1.8% of postoperative groups (P<0.001). TPSA and FPSA levels were significantly associated with younger age and earlier cancer stage, whereas no significant association was found between these two variables and FPSA as a predominant molecular form.


CONCLUSIONS
This study indicated a clinical significance of preoperative measurement of serum TPSA and FPSA in the diagnosis of women with breast cancer, and may be a useful marker for monitoring the response to treatment.
Department of Biochemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Basrah, Basrah, Iraq. fawzi_cm@yahoo.com
Fawzi C
FC
Mashkoor
Jasim N
JN
Al-Asadi
Lamia M
LM
Al-Naama
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood; D017697:Premenopause / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*
C549870:KLK3 protein, human; D007610:Kallikreins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen
Basrah; Breast cancer; Iraq; PSA