J. Romppanen et al., Measurement of prostate specific antigen in detection of benign or malignant breast disease in women, BR J CANC, 79(9-10), 1999, pp. 1583-1587
Using a highly sensitive chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay, we have evalu
ated the measurement of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) as a potentia
l diagnostic test for differentiation between women with breast cancer and
those with benign breast disease. In a controlled study consisting of 284 w
omen with well-documented patient files and matched for age and long-term p
lace of residence, serum samples collected from 90 women with histologicall
y confirmed breast cancer, 94 women with benign breast disease and 100 cont
rols were analysed. Serum total PSA levels in benign breast disease and can
cer patients are not statistically different from those of healthy controls
. Total PSA levels decrease with age in normal controls and breast cancer p
atients but not in those with benign breast disease. The total PSA concentr
ation decreases after menopause in healthy women, though not in patients wi
th breast cancer or benign breast disease. Total PSA bore no relation to th
e histological type or grade of the tumour or the disease stage of the brea
st cancer patients. In benign breast disease, all mastopathy patients had n
ormal total PSA, whereas elevation of the values was observed in 7% of fibr
oadenoma patients. Our results show that serum total PSA cannot be used to
distinguish between healthy women and/or women with breast cancer or benign
breast disease.