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Assessment of serum prostate specific antigen in childhood
Author(s) -
Antoniou A.,
Papanastasiou P.,
Stephanidis A.,
Diamandis E.,
Androulakakis P.A.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
bju international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1464-410X
pISSN - 1464-4096
DOI - 10.1111/j.1464-410x.2003.04740.x
Subject(s) - medicine , prostate specific antigen , endocrine system , prostate cancer , prostate , analysis of variance , genitourinary system , prospective cohort study , gynecology , hormone , cancer
OBJECTIVE To investigate serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels with age and sex in childhood. SUBJECTS AND METHODS This prospective study included 205 children (123 boys, 82 girls; mean age 59.27 months, sd 3.78, range 2 days to 204 months) with no urogenital or endocrine disorders. PSA levels were measured using a highly sensitive, ‘third‐generation’ PSA (time‐resolved immunofluorometric) assay, able to detect PSA levels of ≥ 1 ng/L (0.001 ng/mL). Children were divided into four groups by age, i.e. A (0–12 months; 34 boys/20 girls); B (13–48, 37/21); C (49–144, 41/32); and D (> 144, 11/9). The data were analysed statistically using analysis of variance. RESULTS An accurate measurement of PSA was possible in both sexes using the assay. The median ( sd , range) PSA level in boys was 38.41 (1.318, 1–2768) ng/L, and in girls 4.059 (1.392, 1–287) ng/L. There were no significant differences between girls at all age groups, or between the sexes for groups A–C, but levels were significantly higher in boys in group D (30 times that in girls), at 142.59 (1.53) and 4.85 (1.58) ng/L ( P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS PSA levels do not differ significantly between boys and girls until 12 years old, after which there is a significant and steep increase in PSA in boys, reflecting the development of the prostate. Assessing PSA in children could be used as a potential marker in the diagnosis and follow‐up of urogenital disorders.