[Value of prostate-specific antigen measurements with newly developed enzyme immunoassay (MARKIT-M PA)]

Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in patients with prostate cancer and benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) were investigated with a newly developed enzyme immunoassay (MARKIT-M PA, Dainippon Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., Osaka, Japan). Sensitivity of the assay system is 0.5 ng/ml and the detection range is 0.5-100 ng/ml. There was a high linear correlation (r = 0.987) between the assay and MARKIT-F PA, and values obtained with the assay were almost equal to those yielded by MARKIT-F PA assay. Using the BPH group as a negative control, the upper cut-off value in BPH patients was determined to be 3.6 ng/ml. Of the 48 patients with untreated prostate cancer, 77% was detectable by means of MARKIT-M PA assay. Using the BPH group as a negative control, specificity and efficiency were 93% and 86%, respectively. In another group of 27 BPH patients whose blood samples were taken immediately after digital prostatic examination, PSA was elevated in 15%. During follow-up of prostate cancer patients, PSA was elevated in 82% at the time of clinically detectable progression. In 15 patients whose disease was clinically well controlled, all levels of PSA were observed to be negative. These findings suggests that detection of serum PSA with this assay is of great use both in the diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer patients.