PROSTATIC ACID-PHOSPHATASE LEVELS (ENZYMATIC METHOD) FROM COMPLETELY SECTIONED, CLINICALLY BENIGN, WHOLE PROSTATES

Clinically benign, whole, untrimmed prostates were obtained from 104 p atients at autopsy, completely sectioned, and examined microscopically . The histological and gross findings of the prostate were correlated with premortem prostatic acid phosphatase levels (PAP, enzymatic metho d, ACA, Dupont Co.) to determine how often carcinoma of the prostate ( CAP) affected PAP levels and to identify other findings within the pro state associated with elevated PAP levels. Sixty (58%) prostates did n ot have CAP, 34 (33%) had CAP smaller than 1 mi in volume, and 10 (10% ) had CAP larger than 1 mi in volume. PAP levels were elevated (greate r than 1 U/L) in 8 of the 60 (13%) prostates without CAP, in 2 of the 34 (6%) prostates with CAP smaller than 1 mi, and in 1 of the 10 (10%) prostates with CAP larger than 1 mi. These differences were not stati stically significant. Likewise, a statistically significant correlatio n between PAP levels and patient age, patient race, severe inflammatio n, or high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) was not fou nd. However, there was a statistically significant correlation between PAP levels and prostate weight (P < 0.0001). This study suggests that PAP cannot distinguish between patients with clinically undetected CA P and patients without CAP.]Furthermore, elevated PAP levels are often not due to metastatic CAP and additional evidence should be present, even in patients with known CAP, before an elevated PAP level is consi dered to be conclusive evidence of metastatic CAP. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss , Inc.