Age-specific reference ranges for PSA in the detection of prostate cancer. 1997

E P DeAntoni
Division of Urology, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, USA.

An association between age and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been documented: As men age, their serum PSA value increases. Currently, a single demarcation between normal and elevated PSA values, 4.0 ng/mL, is used as an indication for biopsy among men of all ages. The use of age-specific reference ranges might address several shortcomings of the PSA test. First, age-specific reference ranges could improve the sensitivity of PSA by detecting curable, organ-confined tumors in younger men when the threshold of 4.0 ng/mL is lowered. Second, age-specific reference ranges could improve the specificity of the PSA test by raising the PSA threshold for normal among older men. This would modulate PSA interpretation by taking into account the increasing prevalence of both benign prostatic growth and incidental, non-life-threatening cancers among successively older cohorts of men. Furthermore, many unnecessary (false-positive) biopsies would be avoided. However, the association between PSA values and age is not entirely clear, and whether age-specific reference ranges represent the best interpretive index for PSA remains problematic.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D008875 Middle Aged An adult aged 45 - 64 years. Middle Age
D011237 Predictive Value of Tests In screening and diagnostic tests, the probability that a person with a positive test is a true positive (i.e., has the disease), is referred to as the predictive value of a positive test; whereas, the predictive value of a negative test is the probability that the person with a negative test does not have the disease. Predictive value is related to the sensitivity and specificity of the test. Negative Predictive Value,Positive Predictive Value,Predictive Value Of Test,Predictive Values Of Tests,Negative Predictive Values,Positive Predictive Values,Predictive Value, Negative,Predictive Value, Positive
D011471 Prostatic Neoplasms Tumors or cancer of the PROSTATE. Cancer of Prostate,Prostate Cancer,Cancer of the Prostate,Neoplasms, Prostate,Neoplasms, Prostatic,Prostate Neoplasms,Prostatic Cancer,Cancer, Prostate,Cancer, Prostatic,Cancers, Prostate,Cancers, Prostatic,Neoplasm, Prostate,Neoplasm, Prostatic,Prostate Cancers,Prostate Neoplasm,Prostatic Cancers,Prostatic Neoplasm
D012016 Reference Values The range or frequency distribution of a measurement in a population (of organisms, organs or things) that has not been selected for the presence of disease or abnormality. Normal Range,Normal Values,Reference Ranges,Normal Ranges,Normal Value,Range, Normal,Range, Reference,Ranges, Normal,Ranges, Reference,Reference Range,Reference Value,Value, Normal,Value, Reference,Values, Normal,Values, Reference
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000328 Adult A person having attained full growth or maturity. Adults are of 19 through 44 years of age. For a person between 19 and 24 years of age, YOUNG ADULT is available. Adults
D000367 Age Factors Age as a constituent element or influence contributing to the production of a result. It may be applicable to the cause or the effect of a circumstance. It is used with human or animal concepts but should be differentiated from AGING, a physiological process, and TIME FACTORS which refers only to the passage of time. Age Reporting,Age Factor,Factor, Age,Factors, Age
D000368 Aged A person 65 years of age or older. For a person older than 79 years, AGED, 80 AND OVER is available. Elderly
D014408 Biomarkers, Tumor Molecular products metabolized and secreted by neoplastic tissue and characterized biochemically in cells or BODY FLUIDS. They are indicators of tumor stage and grade as well as useful for monitoring responses to treatment and predicting recurrence. Many chemical groups are represented including HORMONES; ANTIGENS; amino and NUCLEIC ACIDS; ENZYMES; POLYAMINES; and specific CELL MEMBRANE PROTEINS and LIPIDS. Biochemical Tumor Marker,Cancer Biomarker,Carcinogen Markers,Markers, Tumor,Metabolite Markers, Neoplasm,Tumor Biomarker,Tumor Marker,Tumor Markers, Biochemical,Tumor Markers, Biological,Biochemical Tumor Markers,Biological Tumor Marker,Biological Tumor Markers,Biomarkers, Cancer,Marker, Biochemical Tumor,Marker, Biologic Tumor,Marker, Biological Tumor,Marker, Neoplasm Metabolite,Marker, Tumor Metabolite,Markers, Biochemical Tumor,Markers, Biological Tumor,Markers, Neoplasm Metabolite,Markers, Tumor Metabolite,Metabolite Markers, Tumor,Neoplasm Metabolite Markers,Tumor Markers, Biologic,Tumor Metabolite Marker,Biologic Tumor Marker,Biologic Tumor Markers,Biomarker, Cancer,Biomarker, Tumor,Cancer Biomarkers,Marker, Tumor,Markers, Biologic Tumor,Markers, Carcinogen,Metabolite Marker, Neoplasm,Metabolite Marker, Tumor,Neoplasm Metabolite Marker,Tumor Biomarkers,Tumor Marker, Biochemical,Tumor Marker, Biologic,Tumor Marker, Biological,Tumor Markers,Tumor Metabolite Markers
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