Complexed PSA Is Better Indicator of Cancer

The concentration of complexed prostate-specific antigen (cPSA) in blood samples is a more reliable indication of prostate cancer than the concentration of total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA). Improved recognition and early diagnosis of prostate cancer mean that fewer biopsies will be required and the chances of a cure will be higher.

The study of a test to determine the concentration of cPSA in blood samples, which was developed by Bayer Healthcare (Leverkusen, Germany), was described in the April 2006 Journal of Urology. The cPSA, a protein, is produced in the prostate and excreted in particularly high levels in men suffering from prostate cancer. The conventional method for diagnosing prostate cancer measures tPSA, but high levels of tPSA are also present when the patient has a benign enlargement of the prostate. The cPSA level is less strongly affected in these patients.

The study compared the two methods. The results showed that the cPSA test discovered more men with a high risk of cancer than the tPSA. In addition, use of the cPSA test rather than the tPSA test reduced the number of required biopsies by 10%. According to the study result, a man with an elevated level of cPSA and a normal level of tPSA was twice as likely to have prostate cancer as a man with an elevated level of tPSA and a normal level of cPSA.

The scientists concluded that the cPSA test should be used for deciding whether a patient needs a biopsy. They recommended that this test be used as the first-line test for diagnosing prostate cancer.



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