Prostate-specific antigen in acute hepatitis and hepatocellular carcinoma

BACKGROUND. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the most important tumor mar ker in prostate cancer diagnosis and follow-up. Its catabolism by the liver has not influenced its use as a prostate marker until the recent report of a significant increase in a man and a woman with acute hepatitis. In addit ion FSA was detected-in liver tumor extracts, which warranted its evaluatio n in liver cytolysis and hepatacellular carcinoma. In this study, PSA was e valuated in a cohort of both sexes presenting either acute hepatitis or hep atacellular carcinoima. METHODS. Forty-two patients with acute hepatitis (21 male patients, 21 fema le patients) and 54 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (31 male patient s, 23 female patients) were tested for PSA by equimolar immunoassay (Abbott AxSYM Total PSA, Abbott Diagnostics, Rungis, France) and for relevant live r biological parameters (alpha-fetoprotein, alanine aminotransferase, aspar tate aminotransferase, total bilirubin, and prothrombin rate). RESULTS. PSA was undetectable in all the female patients and was consistent with age in the males (PSA median and range in acute hepatitis, 0.36 mu g/ l (range, 0.05-1.3); in hepatocellular carcinoma, 0.36 mu g/l (range, 0.02- 3.9)). It did not correlate with alpha-fetoprotein and aminotransferases. CONCLUSIONS. Our results confirm the well-established reliability of PSA, a nd show that PSA remains a valid prostate marker in patients with acute hep atitis and hepatocellular carcinoma. (C) 1999 Wiley-Liss Inc.