BIOLOGICAL HALF-LIFE OF PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN AFTER RADICAL PROSTATECTOMY

The disappearance pattern of prostate-specific antigen from serum afte r a standard radical prostatectomy was studied in eight patients with cancer confined to the prostate. The results were used to plot an elim ination curve and calculate the best fit. A biphasic pattern was found with an average biological half-life of 1.63 hours in the alpha-phase , and 4.63 days in the beta-phase. Based on these results it is conclu ded that determination of prostate-specific antigen concentrations les s than one month after a standard radical prostato-vesiculectomy has n o value for the detection or exclusion of residual malignant processes .