The effect of prostatitis on prostate-specific antigen

Abstract

The objective of this study is to investigate the possible effects of prostatitis on prostate - specific antigen (PSA) concentration. PSA levels were measured in 54 selected patients with prostatic infection and no incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostatic cancer. PSA levels were found to increase (over 4 ng/ml) in 4 of 5 (80%) patients with acute prostatitis, in 4 of 19 (21%) patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis and in 3 of 20 (15%) pati¬ents with abacterial prostatitis. PSA levels returned to normal by antibiotherapy in 8 patients with acute and chronic bacterial prostatitis and 3 patients with chlamydia infection. Conclusion: When PSA is referred to as a tumor marker, it should be noted that coexisting prostate inflammati¬on may contribute to a rise in PSA levels without any malignancy.