title: PCA3 score of 20 could improve prostate cancer detection: results obtained on 734 Italian individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The role of PCa3 score in the diagnostics of prostate cancer (PCa) is still under debate, mainly due to the lack of a univocal cut-off useful alone or within nomograms proposed by Urologists. Aim of present study is to compare different PCA3 score cut-off values (20, 25, 35 and 50) observed in 734 patients with suspected PCa who were monitored for about three years with single or multiple biopsies.
  
  
  METHODS
  734 patients who underwent first prostate biopsy for suspected PCa were enrolled. One month later the first biopsy result was obtained, both negative and positive PCa patients were investigated by means of PCA3 score, in order to establish risk of PCa presence on repeated biopsies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PCA3 score was significantly higher (p<0.001) in PCa patients to the PCa negative ones, while tPSA did not significantly vary. The best negative predictive value (NPV 97.5%) and sensitivity (95.4%) result were obtained when a PCA3 score of 20 was used. At cut-off value of 50, the 75% of patients resulted as false positive.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  PCA3 score of 20 could be safely introduced in the prostate cancer screening diagnostic flow chart, since it provides important information regarding the outcome of re-biopsy.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University School of Medicine, Italy. Electronic address: ecapoluongo@rm.unicatt.it.
authors.forename: Ettore
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Capoluongo
authors.affiliation: Department Laboratory Medicine, DIMED, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo Federico
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Zambon
authors.affiliation: Department Laboratory Medicine, DIMED, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Basso
authors.affiliation: Section of Hygiene, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boccia
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: Sandro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rocchetti
authors.affiliation: Section of Hygiene, Institute of Public Health, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Leoncini
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.affiliation: Department Laboratory Medicine, DIMED, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Padoan
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Albino
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padova, DiSCOG, Italy.
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Todaro
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padova, DiSCOG, Italy.
authors.forename: Tommaso
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Prayer-Galetti
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical, Oncological and Gastroenterological Sciences, University of Padova, DiSCOG, Italy.
authors.forename: Filiberto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zattoni
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Clinical Molecular Biology, Institute of Biochemistry and Clinical Biochemistry, Catholic University School of Medicine, Italy.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zuppi
authors.affiliation: Department Laboratory Medicine, DIMED, University of Padova, Italy. Electronic address: mario.plebani@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plebani
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D012372:ROC Curve; D012016:Reference Values; D012306:Risk; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000592:standards*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C479341:prostate cancer antigen 3, human
keywords: PCA3 score; PCa; Progensa