Marcadores em câncer de próstata / Prostatic tumor markers

RESUMO

The objetive of this revision is to update the role of prostatic tumor markers in clinical use. Prostatic acid phosphatase nowadays is rarely used because of its low sensitivity. PSA remains the best and the only useful tumor marker. Its value is remarkable in the diagnosis as well as in the follow up of the prostatic cancer patients. The PSA is not strictly prostatic specific because small quantities of this protein may be produced by the urethra, anus, etc. An increase of the serum PSA over 4 ng/ml may be a sign of prostatic carcinoma. Other benign diseases may be the cause of this elevation benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostatis or prostatic infarction. Any aggression to the prostate may procedure serum PSA elevation, and that is the case of prostatic biopsy or transurethral resection of the prostate. Digital rectal examination and ejaculation do not affect serum PSA levels. Several additional techniques of increasing PSA specificity in detecting prostate cancer are discussed PSA density, PSA velocity, age related PSA, free to total PSA ratio and RT-PCR PSA