Plasma chromogranin A in patients with prostate cancer improves the diagnostic efficacy of free/total prostate-specific antigen determination

Urol Int. 2005;75(1):57-61. doi: 10.1159/000085929.

Abstract

Introduction: We ascertained whether plasma chromogranin A enhances the power of serology assessing prostate cancer (PC).

Materials and methods: We studied 56 PC and 83 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients. In the sera we measured total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) and free PSA (fPSA) and calculated the ratio between fPSA and tPSA (f/tPSA). In plasma samples the levels of chromogranin A (CgA) were also assayed.

Results: PC patients had higher CgA (p < 0.005) and tPSA (p < 0.05) levels, and a lower f/tPSA ratio (p < 0.001), than BPH patients. When f/tPSA and CgA were combined, the diagnostic sensitivity was enhanced (57-73%), while the specificity had only an 8% reduction (from 89 to 80%). CgA was only correlated to the Gleason PC score (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: CgA determination in PC may enhance the diagnostic accuracy of the f/tPSA assay and provides useful information on the tumor grade.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / blood*
  • Biopsy
  • Carcinoma / blood*
  • Carcinoma / pathology
  • Carcinoma / surgery
  • Chromogranin A
  • Chromogranins / blood*
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neoplasm Staging
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen / blood*
  • Prostatic Hyperplasia / blood*
  • Prostatic Hyperplasia / pathology
  • Prostatic Hyperplasia / surgery
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / blood*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / pathology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / surgery
  • ROC Curve
  • Reproducibility of Results

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • CHGA protein, human
  • Chromogranin A
  • Chromogranins
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen