PSA AND ITS RELATION TO THE DEGREE OF DIFFERENTIATION OF PROSTATE CANCER

INTRODUCTION: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and Gleason score are two of the most important characteristics of prostate cancer. Their complex and ambiguous connection prompted us to examine it in a series of patients operated in our clinic. For the analysis we used the ISUP – grade system according to which the Gleason scores are summed up in 5 grades. METHODS: 195 patients were available for analysis. All patients underwent a transrectal biopsy of the prostate with subsequent radical prostatectomy (either open retropubic or laparoscopic) in the clinic of Urology, MHAT “Saint Anna” – Varna. For PSA, we used the value distribution in three categories: below 10, between 10 and 20 and above 20 ng/ml. RESULTS There was a statistically significant difference in ISUP grades between the PSA categories. This applied to both post-biopsy and postoperative ISUP-grades. The ISUP - grade in the group with PSA < 10 was statistically significantly lower than in the group with PSA >20. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: PSA and ISUP grades are related in both analyses, when the ISUP grade is determined after the biopsy and after the radical prostatectomy. This connection is found in spite of possible external influences (presence of benign prostatic hyperplasia together with the tumor).