Objective: To define the PSA levels (Prostatic Specific Antigen) in our patients with benign or malignant prostatic biopsy.
Methods: 100 patients with clinical suspicion of prostatic carcinoma (high levels of PSA and/or abnormal findings at digito-rectal examination) and who underwent a prostatic needle biopsy were reviewed.
Results: There were 66 benign and 34 carcinomas. The median PSA was 11.2 ng/mL in the benign cases and 45.6 in cancer. In cases with small increases in PSA (49.9 ng/mL), 94% were benign; there was still a majority of benign cases (63%) in patients with a PSA of 10-29.9 ng/mL. Only in those with levels of 30+, malignancy was a majority (81%).
Conclusions: There was a considerable overlap of PSA levels in our benign and malignant patients, and only values of 30+ ng/mL were highly suggestive of carcinoma. Our levels are higher than those informed in the literature and may have been due, at least partly, to the source of our reagent kits for PSA assays (Cedex from France and Diagnostic Products Corp from the U.S.).