Antibiotic therapy in patients with high prostate-specific antigen: Is it worth considering? A systematic review

Objective: To address the question of whether antibiotic therapy can obviate the need for prostate biopsy (PBx) in patients presenting with high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. Methods: With the increase in unnecessary PBx in men with high PSA levels, a systematic review was performed according to the Cochrane Reviews guidelines and in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. Results: The literature search yielded 42 studies, of which 11 were excluded due to irrelevance of data. Most of the studies were retrospective, nine studies were randomised controlled trials, and there were seven prospective non-randomised trials. The age range of the patients was 51-95 years. Antibiotics, predominantly ofloxacin or ciprofloxacin, combined with a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) or not, were prescribed for 2-8 weeks. All studies focussed on PSA levels ranging from ≤ 4 to ≥ 10 ng/mL. Furthermore, antibiotic therapy normalised PSA levels by a wide variety of percentages (16-59%), and the PSA level decrease also varied widely and ranged from 17% to 80%. For patients who had unchanged or decreased PSA, carcinoma was found in 40-52% and 7.7-20.3%, respectively. No cancer was detected if the PSA level decreased to < 4 ng/mL. Conclusion: Antibiotic therapy is clinically beneficial in patients with high PSA levels. PSA reduction or normalisation after medical therapy, either antibiotic and/or NSAID, for ≥ 2 weeks can avoid unnecessary PBx. Antibiotic therapy is more beneficial when the PSA level is < 20 ng/mL. Abbreviations: EPS: expressed prostatic secretion; PBx: prostate biopsy; (%f)(f/t)(t)PSA, (percentage free) (free/total) (total) serum PSA; PSAD: PSA density; RCT: randomised controlled trial; VB3: voided bladder urine 3.