SKELETAL ALKALINE-PHOSPHATASE - A MARKER FOR INDIVIDUAL FOLLOW-UP IN PATIENTS WITH ADVANCED PROSTATIC-CANCER

Skeletal alkaline phosphatase (sAP) is a tumor marker indicating osseo us metastases, e.g. of prostate cancer. Sera of healthy men and patien ts with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), localized and advanced pro static cancer (PCa) were analyzed with Tandem-R-Ostase(R) and prostate -specific antigen (PSA). No significant differences were found in sAP levels between healthy men and patients with BPH and localized PCa, bu t there was a significant difference with the group of patients with a dvanced PCa. In some cases, the individual follow-up was better and ea rlier with sAP compared to PSA. It is possible to discriminate between localized and advanced PCa with sAP. The individual follow-up shows i n 30% of patients with advanced PCa an earlier increase in sAP, compar ed to PSA, during progression of disease.