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PSA in the screening, staging and follow-up of early-stage prostate cancer

A review of recent developments

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Summary

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) represents a major advance in our tumor marker armamentarium. Although not cancer-specific, it is specific for prostatic epithelium. Sophisticated serum assays have been developed for the detection of the analyte, and serum PSA has been used in the staging, monitoring, and screening of patients. The greastest utility of PSA appears to be in the monitoring of patients with carcinoma of the prostate, most significantly following radical prostatectomy. The role of serum PSA involving patients undergoing radiation therapy and hormonal manipulation is less clear; however, there also appears to be potential in these areas. The usefulness of PSA in screening is hampered by the observation that benign hyperplasia may be associated with elevated serum levels. PSA is a significantly better tumor marker for prostatic disease than prostatic acid phosphatase and should be used by all physicians managing these patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Urology, RL-10, University of Washington, 98195, Seattle, Washington, USA

    M. K. Brawer & P. H. Lange

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  1. M. K. Brawer
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  2. P. H. Lange
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Brawer, M.K., Lange, P.H. PSA in the screening, staging and follow-up of early-stage prostate cancer. World J Urol 7, 7–11 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01576837

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01576837

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