Detection of serum prostate specific antigen in lactating, pregnant, and advanced breast cancer Sudanese Women.

Abstract

Introduction: Although prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the most valuable tumor marker for the diagnosis and management of prostate carcinoma, it is widely accepted that PSA is not prostate specific.
Objectives: The aim of this study is to address the possibility of using the PSA as marker for the sex assignment in different categories and relevance of this test in women problems.

Method: We have evaluated the measurement of serum total PSA for differentiation between Sudanese women with advanced breast cancer (n= 10), and those are lactating (n=10), pregnant (n=10) compared with 20 healthy women as control group. Serum total PSA (TPSA) was measured using immuno-radiometric assay (IRMA).
Results: In this study the mean age was significantly higher advanced breast cancer groups compared with lactating group (P<0.01). The mean serum PSA levels in the healthy control women examined (n=20) was 0.72 ± 0.55 vs. 1.18 ± 0.92, 1.42 ± 2.43 and 0.51 ± 0.13 ng/ml in serum from
advanced breast cancer (n=10), pregnant (n=10) and lactating women (n=10) respectively. A significant high level of total PSA in serum of advanced breast cancer compared with the normal group (P< 0.05).
Conclusion: These results indicated the possible use of total PSA to distinguish between healthy women and/or women with advanced breast cancer.

Key words: Prostate-specific antigen, Total PSA, Breast cancer, Sudanese women