CHARACTERISTICS OF PROSTATIC INFARCTS AND THEIR EFFECT ON SERUM PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN AND PROSTATIC ACID-PHOSPHATASE

Objectives. To determine how prostatic infarcts affect serum prostate- specific antigen (PSA) and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) levels. Me thods. Two hundred eighteen clinically benign, whole prostates were ob tained at autopsy, completely sectioned, and examined histologically. PSA and PAP levels were determined from premortem serum. Results. Six of the 218 (2.8%) prostates had infarcts. The infarcts were usually mu ltiple and usually located in the central and/or middle concentric zon es of the middle third of the prostate without a preference for a part icular lobe. Serum PSA by immunoradiometric assay were elevated in all 6 cases. Serum PAP by both enzymatic assay (ACA), and immunoradiometr ic assay were available for 5 cases and were elevated by both methods in 2 cases, approached elevated levels by both methods in 1 case, and were normal by both methods in 2 cases. The PSA and PAP levels appeare d to be affected more by the age than by the size of the infarct. Conc lusions. Prostatic infarcts elevate PSA levels more frequently than PA P levels, and prostatic infarcts may be responsible for some unexplain ed elevations of serum PSA and PAP levels.