1980 Volume 71 Issue 12 Pages 1484-1488
With 191 randomly selected patients, of which 56 cases were histologically defined as having carcinoma of the prostate, the diagnostic usefulness of results obtained from measurement of acid phosphatase levels in serum by enzymatic assay of King-Armstrong (TAP and PAP) and radioimmunoassay of Mallincrodt RIA Quant-P. A. P, test (RIA-PAP) were compared and the following results were obtained.
1) With control cases, the upper limit of serum RIA-PAP levels was 2.0ng/ml. This level was increased along with the advance of the age and the upper limit of normality in the group more than 70 years of age was 2.2.ng/ml.
2) In cases with carcinoma of the prostate, the mean serum levels of all three RIA-PAP, TAP and PAP were statistically significantly higher than the levels obtained in the controls and patients with benign hyperplasia of the prostate.
3) With the patients having stage A-B carcinoma, the enzymatic assay was abnormally higher in 22per cent of them. With RIA-PAP, on the other hand, abnormal elevation was found in 33 per cent of them. However, a diagnostic accuracy of 56 per cent was obtained if both studies were performed simultaneously. The author has concluded that at present simultaneous studies of PAP and RIA-PAP are more favorable for detecting early carcinoma of the prostate.
4) In the cases with benign hyperplasia and carcinoma of the prostate, RIA-PAP levels were highly significantly correlated with TAP and PAP levels.
