SIGNIFICANCE OF MEASUREMENT OF PROSTATE-SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) IN FAMILIAL PROSTATE-CANCER LINES

The concentration of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in serum was meas ured in 20 brothers or sons in 10 families in which the father and son or brothers had prostate cancer using the E test TOSOH IIPA. The pati ents were between 32 and 70 years old with a mean age of 48.2 years. T he PSA value was between 0.4 and 19.5 ng/ml with a mean value of 3.4 n g/ml. Five patients (25 %) had PSA values exceeding the cut-off value of 4.0 ng/ml. After obtaining their consent, systematic prostate needl e biopsy by transrectal ultrasonography was performed on 3 patients (1 5 %). Prostate cancer was detected in all of them. Among them 2 patien ts were brothers, and since the other tyro brothers already had prosta te cancer, all four brothers were confirmed to have prostate cancer. T his is the first report of a familial prostate cancer in four brothers in Japan. In the western countries where the incidence of prostate ca ncer is higher than that in Japan, studies have been performed on the risk factors. Family history is one of the most important risk factors . In Japan, the incidence of prostate cancer is increasing rapidly. Mo reover, patients with a prostate cancer family history are expected to increase. In such cases, prostate cancer screening should be performe d aggressively from a young age. (C) 1998 Tohoku University Medical Pr ess.