Technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography combined with prostate-specific antigen/free prostate-specific antigen ratio for bone metastasis of prostate cancer

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer(PC)is one of the most common malignant tumors in men,and bone metastasis is one of its common complications,which seriously affects the quality of life and prognosis of patients.AIM To investigate the diagnostic value of technetium-99m-methylene diphosphonate(99mTc-MDP)single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT)/CT imaging combined with the serum prostate-specific antigen(PSA)/free PSA ratio for PC bone metastasis(PCBM).METHODS One hundred patients with PC who visited the Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from January 2020 to January 2022 were recruited as the experimental(Exp)group,while 30 patients with benign prostatic lesions(BPLs)were recruited as the control(Ctrl)group.All patients underwent 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT imaging and serum PSA/fPSA testing.The SPECT/CT imaging results and serum PSA/fPSA ratios of patients were analyzed to evaluate their diagnostic values for PCBM.RESULTS The difference in general information of the patients was not obvious,showing comparability.The two methods showed no visible differences in negative predictive value and sensitivity for patients with PCBM,but had great differences in positive predictive value and specificity(P<0.05).The PSA/fPSA ratio of patients with PC in the Exp group was lower than those with BPLs,and patients with PCBM had a much lower PSA/fPSA ratio than those without PC(P<0.05).The results confirmed that the combined use of 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT imaging and serum PSA/fPSA ratio achieved a detection rate of 95%for PCBM.CONCLUSION The combination of 99mTc-MDP SPECT/CT and PSA/fPSA ratio is accurate and reliable for the diagnosis of PCBM,which provides an important reference for clinical practice.

A nomogram based on age, prostate-specific antigen level, prostate volume and digital rectal examination for predicting risk of prostate cancer

Nomograms for predicting the risk of prostate cancer developed using other populations may introduce sizable bias when applied to a Chinese cohort. In the present study, we sought to develop a nomogram for predicting the probability of a positive initial prostate biopsy in a Chinese population. A total of 535 Chinese men who underwent a prostatic biopsy for the detection of prostate cancer in the past decade with complete biopsy data were included. Stepwise logistic regression was used to determine the independent predictors of a positive initial biopsy. Age, prostate-specific antigen （PSA）, prostate volume （PV）, digital rectal examination （DRE） status, % free PSA and transrectal ultrasound （TRUS） findings were included in the analysis. A nomogram model was developed that was based on these independent predictors to calculate the probability of a positive initial prostate biopsy. A receiver-operating characteristic curve was used to assess the accuracy of using the nomogram and PSA levels alone for predicting positive prostate biopsy. The rate for positive initial prostate biopsy was 41.7% （223/535）. The independent variables used to predict a positive initial prostate biopsy were age, PSA, PV and DRE status. The areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for a positive initial prostate biopsy for PSA alone and the nomogram were 79.7% and 84.8%, respectively. Our results indicate that the risk of a positive initial prostate biopsy can be predicted to a satisfactory level in a Chinese population using our nomogram. The nomogram can be used to identify and counsel patients who should consider a prostate biopsy, ultimately enhancing accuracy in diagnosing prostate cancer.

Decreasing trend in prostate cancer with high serum prostate-specific antigen levels detected at first prostate-specific antigen-based population screening in Japan

To clarify the recent trends in prostate-specific antigen （PSA） distribution in men in Japan, we analyzed the PSA distributions of men undergoing PSA-based population screening. We summarized the annual individual data of PSA-based population screening in Kanazawa, Japan, from 2000 to 2011, and analyzed baseline serum PSA values of the participants at the first population screening. Serum PSA distributions were estimated in all participants and those excluding prostate cancer patients according to age. From 2000 to 2011, 19 620 men participated aged 54-69 years old in this screening program. Mean baseline serum PSA level of all participants at the first screening was 2.64 ng m1-1 in 2000, and gradually decreased to approximately 1.30 ng ml-I in 2006. That of participants excluding prostate cancer patients was 1.46 ng m1-1 in 2000, and there was no remarkable change during the study period. The 95t＂ percentiles in the participants excluding prostate cancer patients detected at the first population screening of men aged 54-59, 60-64, and 65-69 years old were 2.90, 3.60, and 4.50 ng m1-1, respectively. After the commencement of population screening, the proportion of prostate cancer patients with high serum PSA levels decreased. However, there were no changes in serum PSA levels in men without prostate cancer. Age-specific PSA reference level of men without prostate cancer in Japan was similar to that in China and Korea.

Prostate cancer with elevated free prostate-specific antigen density:A case report

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among men worldwide,and prostate-specific antigen(PSA)is often used in clinical practice to screen for prostate cancer.Normal total PSA(tPSA)level initially excludes prostate cancer.Here,we report a case of prostate cancer with elevated free PSA density(fPSAD).CASE SUMMARY A patient diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia underwent prostatectomy,and the postoperative pathological results showed acinar adenocarcinoma of the prostate.The patient is currently undergoing endocrine chemotherapy.CONCLUSION We provide a clinical reference for diagnosis and treatment of patients with normal tPSA but elevated fPSAD.

Total and free prostate-specific antigen indexes in prostate cancer screening:value and limitation for Japanese populations

Aim:To assess the efficacy and limitation of free/total prostate-specific antigen ratio(f/tPSA)at a single institution in Japan,focusing on the avoidance of pointless prostate biopsies.Methods:In total,631 men between 44 and 93 years old(mean 69.8 years)with elevated PSA underwent power-Doppler ultrasoundgraphy-guided transrectal 10-core prostate biopsies at Niigata Cancer Center Hospital,and their histological features were investigated with total PSA (tPSA)and f/tPSA.Results:PCa was detected in 126 of 134 patients(94.3%)with tPSA of 26 ng/mL or higher.The detection rate was 59.4% for tPSA of 21-25 ng/mL,followed by 39.2% for 16-20 ng/mL,30.0% for 11-15 ng/mL, 20.0% for 4.1-10 ng/mL and 7.6% for≤4.0 ng/mL,f/tPSA of the PCa group was significantly lower than that of non-malignamt disorders in any tPSA ranges(mean 0.122 vs.0.160,P<0.001).Receiver-operating characteristics analyses showed that f/tPSA(AUC:0.664)performed more valuably than tPSA(AUC:0.559)in patients with tPSA between 3.0-10 ng/mL(P<0.01).Although f/tPSA of 0.250 for the cut-off value might miss 1.8% PCa patients,it potentially spares 9.2% of unnecessary biopsies.Conclusion:f/tPSA is more valuable compared with tPSA alone for the prediction of the occurrence of PCa.We recommend 0.250 as the cut-off value for f/tPSA in PCa screening for Asian men having so-called grey-zone tPSA.(Asian J Androl 2006 Jul;8:429-434)

Percent free prostate-specific antigen for prostate cancer diagnosis in Chinese men with a PSA of 4.0-10.0 ng/mL:Results from the Chinese Prostate Cancer Consortium

Objective:To test the diagnostic performance of percent free prostate-specific antigen(%fPSA)in predicting any prostate cancer(PCa)and high-grade prostate cancer(HGPCa)in a retrospective multi-center biopsy cohort with a PSA level of 4.0e10.0 ng/mL in China.Methods:Consecutive patients with a PSA of 4.0-10.0 ng/mL who underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy were enrolled at 16 Chinese medical centers from January 1st,2010 to December 31st,2013.Total and free serum PSA determinations were performed using three types of electro-chemiluminescence immunoassays recalibrated to the World Health Organization(WHO)standard.The diagnostic accuracy of PSA,%fPSA,and %fPSA in combination with PSA(%fPSA t PSA)was determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve(AUC).Results:A total of 2310 consecutive men with PSA levels between 4.0 and 10.0 ng/mL were included,and the detection rate of PCa was 25.1%.The AUC of%fPSA and %fPSA t PSA in predicting any PCa was superior to PSA alone in men aged≥60 years(0.623 vs.0.534,p<0.0001)but not in men aged 40e59 years(0.517 vs.0.518,p=0.939).Similar result was yield in predicting HGPCa.Conclusion:In a clinical setting of Chinese men with 4.0e10.0 ng/mL PSA undergoing initial prostate biopsy,adding %fPSA to PSA can moderately improve the diagnostic accuracy for any PCa and HGPCa compared with PSA alone in patients≥60 but not in patients aged 40-59 years.

Blood and urine biomarkers in prostate cancer:Are we ready for reflex testing in men with an elevated prostate-specific antigen?

Objective:There is no consensus on the role of biomarkers in determining the utility of prostate biopsy in men with elevated prostate-specific antigen(PSA).There are numerous biomarkers such as prostate health index,4Kscore,prostate cancer antigen 3,ExoDX,SelectMDx,and Mi-Prostate Score that may be useful in this decision-making process.However,it is unclear whether any of these tests are accurate and cost-effective enough to warrant being a widespread reflex test following an elevated PSA.Our goal was to report on the clinical utility of these blood and urine biomarkers in prostate cancer screening.Methods:We performed a systematic review of studies published between January 2000 and October 2020 to report the available parameters and cost-effectiveness of the aforementioned diagnostic tests.We focus on the negative predictive value,the area under the curve,and the decision curve analysis in comparing reflexive tests due to their relevance in evaluating diagnostic screening tests.Results:Overall,the biomarkers are roughly equivalent in predictive accuracy.Each test has additional clinical utility to the current diagnostic standard of care,but the added benefit is not substantial to justify using the test reflexively after an elevated PSA.Conclusions:Our findings suggest these biomarkers should not be used in binary fashion and should be understood in the context of pre-existing risk predictors,patient’s ethnicity,cost of the test,patient life-expectancy,and patient goals.There are more recent diagnostic tools such as multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging,polygenic single-nucleotide panels,IsoPSA,and miR Sentinel tests that are promising in the realm of prostate cancer screening and need to be investigated further to be considered a consensus reflexive test in the setting of prostate cancer screening.

Age-specific PSA reference ranges in Chinese men without prostate cancer

This study is to determine age-specific prostate-specific antigen （PSA） distributions in Chinese men without prostate cancer （PC） and to recommend reference ranges for this population after comparison with other studies. From September 2003 to December 2006, 9 374 adult men aged from 18 to 96 years agreed to participate in the study. After all cases of PC were excluded, 8 422 adult men participated in statistical analysis and were divided into five age groups. Simple descriptive statistical analyses were carried out and quartiles and 95th percentiles were calculated for each age group. The age-specific PSA reference ranges are as follows： 4049 years, 2.15 ng mLl; 50-59 years, 3.20 ng mLl; 60-9 years, 4.10 ng mL^-1; 70-79 years, 5.37 ng mL^-1. The results indicate that the ethnic differences in PSA levels are obvious. The currently adopted Oesterling＇s age-specific PSA reference ranges are not appropriate for Chinese men. The reference ranges of this study should be more suitable to Chinese men.

Uptake of prostate cancer screening and associated factors among Chinese men aged 50 or more: a population-based survey

Objective: To investigate the uptake rate of prostate specific antigen(PSA) testing among Hong Kong Chinese males aged 50 or above, and identify factors associated with the likelihood of undergoing a PSA test.Methods: A population-based telephone survey was conducted in Hong Kong in 2007. The survey covered demographic information, perceived health status, use of complementary therapy, cancer screening behavior, perceived susceptibility to cancer and family history of cancer. Descriptive statistics, percentages and logistic regression analysis were used for data analysis.Results: A total of 1,002 men aged 50 or above took part in the study(response rate =67%), and the uptake rate of PSA testing was found to be 10%. Employment status, use of complementary therapy, perceiving regular visits to a doctor as good for health and the recommendations of health professionals were significant factors associated with PSA testing.Conclusion: The uptake rate of PSA testing in the study population was very low. Among all the factors identified, recommendations from health professionals had the strongest association with the uptake of PSA testing, and they should therefore take an active role in educating this population about cancer prevention and detection.

Association of Haplotypes in Exon 4 of KLK2 Gene with Raised Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen

The standard diagnostic modalities for Prostate Cancer (PC) include serum Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) assay, Digital Rectal Examination (DRE), and histological examination of prostate biopsy. They are limited by low predictive potential and inability to predict which patients are at risk of developing metastatic disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the exon 4 of the KLK2 gene of subjects for changes in its nucleotide sequences (SNPs) and determine the correlation of these changes with serum PSA in an Igbo population of Nigeria. One hundred male subjects aged 40 years and above, who gave their consent, were used for the study. Their PSA determinations were done using ELISA technique while genetic studies were carried out using real-time PCR. tPSA, fPSA, and % fPSA of the subjects ranged between 0.8% - 18.30%, 0.10% - 1.60% and 0.0% - 0.7% respectively. Of the 100 subjects, 28 subjects had tPSA levels above 4.0 ng/ml with a mean of 7.10 (±3.30) ng/ml. Those with tPSA less than 4 ng/ml had a mean of 1.87 (±0.85) ng/m. 15 subjects showed SNPs with a mean tPSA of 6.87 (±4.82) ng/ml while the remaining 85 subjects without SNPs had a mean of 1.86 (±0.80) ng/ml. Results from direct DNA sequencing showed 11 SNPs. Ten subjects are curated in SNP database while one is uncurated. The Chi-square test showed significant association (p = 0.00) between tPSA levels and SNPs mutation (X2 = 17.35, p = 0.00). A Kruskal-Wallis test demonstrated that the positional arrangement of the SNP mutations had no effect on PSA-total or free-values (H (10) = 10.92, p = 0.28;H (10) = 10.07, p = 0.38 respectively). Two SNPs: rs6072 and rs74478031 were associated with elevated PSA levels (p < 0.05). Their presence, therefore, has the potential to serve, in conjunction with raised PSA, as biomarkers of prostate cancer in the study population.

Prostate-specific antigen half-life： a new predictor of progression- free survival and overall survival in Chinese prostate cancer patients

We investigated the potential value of prostate-specific antigen half-life （PSAHL） and decreasing velocity （PSAVd） to predict progression-free survival （PFS） and overall survival （OS） in Chinese patients with prostate cancer. A total of 153 patients treated with hormonal therapy were included in the study. Of these, 78 patients progressed to hormone- refractory prostate cancer （HRPC） and 24 patients died by the end of follow-up. PSAHL was defined as the time during which prostate-specific antigen （PSA） concentration became half of the initial value during the first hormonal therapy. PSAVd reflected the decreasing velocity of PSA during the first hormonal therapy. PFS was defined as the interval from the beginning of hormonal therapy to HRPC. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to evaluate whether PSAHL and PSAVd were significantly associated with PFS and OS. The median PSAHL and PSAVd were 0.50 months and 33.8 ng mL^-1 per month. The median PFS and OS were 22.7 months （95% confidence interval [CI], 22.0-29.6 months） and 43.5 months （95% CI, 37.9-48.4 months）, respectively. On univariate and multivariate analysis, long PSAHL （〉 0.5 months）, metastatic disease, high biopsy Gleason scores （〉 8） and high nadir PSA （〉 0.4 ng mL^-1） were all found to be significantly associated with short PFS. Long PSAHL, high nadir PSA and short PSA doubling time （PSADT 〈 2.0 months） were significantly associated with short OS. There were no significant relationships between PSAVd and either PFS or OS. Thus, PSAHL is a promising new independent predictor of survival. Patients with long PSAHL were identified as those at high risk for a relatively short PFS and OS.

Research Progress of Systemic Immune Inflammatory Index in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer has gradually risen to become the second most common cancer threatening men’s health, and prostate-specific antigen (PSA), as the main screening indicator for prostate cancer, has the defects of low specificity and insufficient diagnostic efficacy. As a novel inflammatory index based on neutrophil, lymphocyte and platelet counts, the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) has recently become a more powerful biomarker for predicting the occurrence and progression of various malignancies. SII reflects the systemic inflammatory response of prostate cancer patients in a more balanced manner, and has higher predictive value than neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR). High SII values are often associated with cancer progression and poor prognosis. This article reviews the research progress of SII in prostate cancer, in order to provide guidance for clinical practice.

Prostate-specific antigen doubling time and response to cabazitaxel in a hormone-resistant metastatic prostate cancer patient

We report a case of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, who received prior treatment with docetaxel and was then given cabazitaxel as salvage therapy. The patient was monitored by prostate-specific antigen doubling time and prostate-specific antigen absolute value. The prostate-specific antigen doubling time was found to be a good response predictor in the patient.

New frontiers in focal therapy for prostate cancer:Prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging

Imaging has a central role in the context of focal therapy(FT)for prostate cancer(PCa).Prostate-specific membrane antigen(PSMA)positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging(PET/MRI)is a novel imaging modality that combines the morpho-functional information of MRI with the molecular characterization of PET.Some papers reported the potential advantages of PSMA PET/MRI in different clinical scenarios.Limited evidence on PSMA PET/MRI is available in the setting of FT.PSMA PET/MRI can be an effective imaging modality for detecting primary PCa and seems to provide accurate local staging of primary PCa.PSMA PET/MRI also shows high performance for restaging and detecting tumor recurrence.The higher soft-tissue contrast and the reduction of ionizing radiation are the main advantages reported in the literature compared to PET/computed tomography.PSMA PET/MRI could represent a turning point in the management of patients with PCa in the context of FT.Further studies are needed to confirm its applications in this specific clinical setting.

Aggressive variant prostate cancer:A case report and literature review

BACKGROUND Aggressive variant prostate cancer(AVPC)is a rare disease that progresses rapidly.The first-line treatment for AVPC is currently unknown.We examined a rare case of AVPC with rare brain and bladder metastases.A summary review of the mechanism of development,clinicopathological manifestations,associated treatments and prognosis of this disease is presented.CASE SUMMARY The patient was diagnosed with prostate cancer(PCA),and was actively treated with endocrine therapy,radiotherapy,chemotherapy,and traditional Chinese medicine.Unfortunately,he was insensitive to treatment,and the disease progressed rapidly.He died five years after being diagnosed with PCA.CONCLUSION We should reach consensus definitions of the AVPC and other androgen receptorindependent subtypes of PCA and develop new biomarkers to identify groups of high-risk variants.It is crucial to complete a puncture biopsy of the tumor or metastatic lesion as soon as possible in patients with advanced PCA who exhibit clinical features such as low Prostate-specific antigen levels,high carcinoembryonic antigen levels,and insensitivity to hormones to determine the pathological histological type and to create a more aggressive monitoring and treatment regimens.

Prostate cancer prediction forest algorithm that takes using the random into account transrectal ultrasound findings, age, and serum levels of prostate-specific antigen

The aim of this study is to evaluate the ability of the random forest algorithm that combines data on transrectal ultrasound findings, age, and serum levels of prostate-specific antigen to predict prostate carcinoma. Clinico-demographic data were analyzed for 941 patients with prostate diseases treated at our hospital, including age, serum prostate-specific antigen levels, transrectal ultrasound findings, and pathology diagnosis based on ultrasound-guided needle biopsy of the prostate. These data were compared between patients with and without prostate cancer using the Chi-square test, and then entered into the random forest model to predict diagnosis. Patients with and without prostate cancer differed significantly in age and serum prostate-specific antigen levels （P 〈 0.001）, as well as in all transrectal ultrasound characteristics （P 〈 0.05） except uneven echo （P = 0.609）. The random forest model based on age, prostate-specific antigen and ultrasound predicted prostate cancer with an accuracy of 83.10%, sensitivity of 65.64%, and specificity of 93.83%. Positive predictive value was 86.72%, and negative predictive value was 81.64%. By integrating age, prostate-specific antigen levels and transrectal ultrasound findings, the random forest algorithm shows better diagnostic performance for prostate cancer than either diagnostic indicator on its own. This algorithm may help improve diagnosis of the disease by identifying patients at high risk for biopsy.

Association of time to prostate-specific antigen nadir and logarithm of prostate-specific antigen velocity after progression in metastatic prostate cancer with prior primary androgen deprivation therapy

We investigated the association of time to prostate-specific antigen nadir （TTPN） and logarithm of prostate-specific antigen velocity after progression Log（PSAVAP） in metastatic prostate cancer with prior primary androgen deprivation therapy （ADT）. All metastatic prostate cancer patients treated with primary ADT from 2000 to 2009 were reviewed. Patients who developed disease progression were included in the subsequent analyses. Patients were categorized into three groups according to their TTPN： TTPN of 〈3 months, 3-17 months, and 〉17 months. We compared the Log（PSAVAP） between the different TTPN groups using Mann-Whitney U-test and Kruskal-Wallis test. Further multiple linear regression analyses on Log（PSAVAP） were performed to adjust for other potential confounding factors. Among 419 patients who were treated with primary ADT, 306 patients developed disease progression with a median follow-up of 28 months, Longer TTPN was associated with lower Log（PSAVAP） （P = 0.008） within all subgroup analyses （TTPN of 〈3 vs 3-17 months, P = 0.020; TTPN of 3-17 vs 〉17 months, P = 0.009; and TTPN of 〈3 vs 〉17 months, P = 0.001）. Upon multiple linear regression analyses, baseline PSA （regression coefficient 0.001, P = 0.045）, PSA nadir （regression coefficient 0.002, P = 0.040）, and TTPN （regression coefficient -0.030, P = 0.001） were the three factors that were significantly associated with Log（PSAVAP）. In conclusion, a longer TTPN was associated with lower Log（PSAVAP） in metastatic prostate cancer patients following primary ADT. TTPN cut-offs at 3 months and 17 months appeared to have prognostic significance in predicting Log（PSAVAP）. TTPN may serve as a good prognostic indicator in deciding the treatment strategy in patients with disease progression.

Understanding prostate-specific antigen dynamics in monitoring metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer： implications for clinical practice

Availability of novel hormonal therapies as well as docetaxel and cabazitaxel treatment for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer （CRPC） has changed the outlook for this group of patients with improvements in progression-free survival and overall survival. Physicians often diagnose the progression of prostate cancer using serum prostate-specific antigen （PSA）. However, serum PSA is not always correlated with the clinical status in CRPC. To evaluate the PSA dynamics with greater precision, understanding of the control of PSA and of the mechanisms of development of CRPC is needed. Moreover, it is necessary to use new hormonal therapies with an appropriate timing to optimally improve the prognosis and the QOL of the patients. In the present review, we ascertain the PSA dynamics and the mechanisms of the development of CRPC to assist in optimal utilization of the new treatments for mCRPC.

The role of prostate-specific antigen density and negative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging in excluding prostate cancer for biopsynaive men:clinical outcomes from a high-volume center in China

This study aimed to assess the role of prostate-specific antigen density(PSAD)and negative multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging(mpMRI)in predicting prostate cancer for biopsy-naive men based on a large cohort of the Chinese population.From a prostate biopsy database between March 2017 and July 2021,we retrospectively identified 240 biopsy-naive patients with negative prebiopsy mpMRI(Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2[PI-RADS v2]score<3).Logistic regression analysis was performed to select the potential predictors for clinically significant prostate cancer(csPCa).Receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis and area under the ROC curve(AUC)were performed to assess the diagnostic accuracy.The negative predictive values of mpMRI in excluding any cancer and csPCa were 83.8%(201/240)and 90.8%(218/240),respectively.R0C curve analysis indicated that PSAD was the most promising predictor,with an AUC value of 0.786(95%confidence interval[CI]:0.699-0.874),and multiparametric logistic regression analysis confirmed that higher PSAD remained a significant marker for predicting csPCa(odds ratio[0R]:10.99,95%CI:2.75-44.02,P<0.001).Combining negative mpMRI and PSAD below 0.20 ng ml^(-2)obviously increased the predictive value in excluding PCa(91.0%,101/111)or csPCa(100.0%,111/111).If a PSAD below 0.20 ng ml^(-2)was set as the criterion to omit biopsy,nearly 46.3%of patients(463 per 1000)with negative mpMRI could safely avoid unnecessary biopsy,with approximately 4.2%of patients(42 per 1000)at risk of missed diagnosis of PCa and no patients with csPCa missed.A PI-RADS v2 score<3 and a PSAD<0.20 ng ml^(-2)could be potential criteria for the Chinese population to omit prompt biopsy safely.

Clinical application of free/total PSA ratio in the diagnosis of prostate cancer in men over 50 years of age with total PSA levels of 2.0-25.0 ng ml^(−1) in Western China

The goal of this study was to investigate the clinical application of free/total prostate-specific antigen(F/T PSA)ratio,considering the new broad serum total PSA(T-PSA)“gray zone”of 2.0–25.0 ng ml^(−1)in differential diagnosis of prostate cancer(PCa)and benign prostate diseases(BPD)in men over 50 years in Western China.A total of 1655 patients were included,528 with PCa and 1127 with BPD.Serum T-PSA,free PSA(F-PSA),and F/T PSA ratio were analyzed.Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to assess the efficiency of PSA and F/T PSA ratio.There were 47.4%of cancer patients with T-PSA of 2.0–25.0 ng ml^(−1).When T-PSA was 2.0–4.0 ng ml^(−1),4.0–10.0 ng ml^(−1),and 10.0–25.0 ng ml^(−1),the area under the curve(AUC)of F/T PSA ratio was 0.749,0.769,and 0.761,respectively.The best AUC of F/T PSA ratio was 0.811 when T-PSA was 2.0–25.0 ng ml^(−1),with a specificity of 0.732,a sensitivity of 0.788,and an optimal cutoff value of 15.5%.The AUC of F/T PSA ratio in different age groups(50–59 years,60–69 years,70–79 years,and≥80 years)was 0.767,0.806,0.815,and 0.833,respectively,and the best sensitivity(0.857)and specificity(0.802)were observed in patients over 80 years.The T-PSA trend was in accordance with the Gleason score,tumor node metastasis(TNM)stage,and American Joint Committee on Cancer prognosis group.Therefore,the F/T PSA ratio can facilitate the differential diagnosis of PCa and BPD in the broad T-PSA“gray zone”.Serum T-PSA can be a Gleason score and prognostic indicator.