[Pro-prostate-specific antigen and its related indexes in the diagnosis of prostate cancer]

Pro-prostate-specific antigen (proPSA) is the precursor of PSA and a form of free PSA (fPSA). In recent years, a lot of studies have been done on proPSA, the roles of its related indexes in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and the value of its clinical application. The correlated indexes of proPSA include proPSA, % pPSA, p2PSA, % p2PSA and prostate health index (PHI). They are more effective than total PSA (tPSA) and fPSA in the diagnosis of prostate cancer, especially % p2PSA and PHI, which may significantly increase our ability to detect and identify PCa and lower the rate of unnecessary biopsies. This article presents an overview on the advances in the studies of proPSA and the application of its related indexes in the diagnosis of prostate cancer.