Abstract

Objective: To investigate the correlation between resected tissue amount and prostate specific antigen (PSA) decline in benign prostatic hiperplasia (BPH) patients treated with transurethral resection of prostate (TURP).

Materials and methods: Nineteen BHP patients treated with TURP whose PSA levels had been re-evaluated at 3rd month were included in the study. The mean age of the patients was 68.4 years (range 53-81 years). All patients had rectal examination, serum total and free PSA levels measurement, transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS), uroflowmeter, and International Prostate Symptom Scoring before the operation. In the postoperative 3rd month, the PSA measurement was repeated, and the correlation between the decrease in total and free PSA levels and the amount of tissue resected during the procedure was investigated.

Results: Before the procedure the prostate weight measured with TRUS was between 25 g and 100 g (mean 47.2 g). The mean total PSA was 4.87 ng/mL (range 0.68-25 ng/mL) and free PSA was 1.15 ng/mL (range 0.2-6.6 ng/mL). The mean weight of prostate resected with TURP was 31.6 g (range 15-75 g). In the postoperative 3rd month, the mean total PSA level was 1.71 ng/mL (range 0.1-4.5 ng/mL) and the free PSA level was 0.35 ng/mL (range 0.03-1.0 ng/mL). A positive correlation between the amount of tissue extracted with TURP and the total-free PSA levels before and after the procedure was detected. Mean resected prostate volume was 66.9%. The decrease in total and free PSA levels was 35.1% and 30.4%, respectively. For 1 g of prostate mass resected, the total and free PSA levels decreased 0.1 ng/mL and 0.025 ng/mL, respectively.

Conclusion: Total-free PSA levels decrease with the amount of tissue extracted during TURP in BPH patients.