The significance of PSA/IGF-1 ratio in differentiating benign prostate hyperplasia from prostate cancer

The importance of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in human serum for t he early diagnosis of prostate cancer is controversial. The IGF-1/PSA ratio may improve the performance of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a prosta te cancer marker. IGF-I, along with PSA and free PSA concentration, was measured in the serum of 34 patients with prostate cancer and in 131 patients with benign prosta tic hyperplasia (BPH). Although IGF-I concentration did not significantly differ between the group s, PSA/IGF-1 ratio could clearly distinguish the two groups. In patients wi th cancer but not in patients with BPH, IGF-I concentration correlated with PSA and free PSA. The values of PSA and free PSA correlated with each othe r for both groups. Receivers Operating Curve (ROC) analysis indicated a bet ter sensitivity to specificity ratio for PSA/IGF-1 than for PSA or Free/Tot al (F/T) PSA.