EARLY DETECTION OF PROSTRATE CANCER (CAP) BY DETERMINING A RATIO INVOLVING PROSTRATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN (PSA) AND HUMAN GLANDULAR KALLIKREIN (HGK-1) CONCENTRATIONS

摘要

The invention relates to a bioaffinity assay of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) comprising the measurement of either the concentration of total PSA (PSA-T), the concentration of free form of PSA (PSA-F) or the concentration of PSA complexed to alpha-1-antichymotrypsin (PSA-ACT), PSA-T being the sum of PSA-F and PSA-ACT. According to the invention, additionally the concentration of human glandular kallikrein (hGK-1) is measured. The concentrations of PSA-T and hGK-1 can be measured in one single assay or in separate assays. The sum of the concentrations of PSA-T and hGK-1 is used to determine the ratio a) PSA-F/(PSA-T + hGK-1) and/or b) PSA-ACT/(PSA-T + hGK-1). Both of these ratios are shown to have an outstanding clinical utility for the discrimination of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.