Laboratory studies for the detection of carcinoma of the prostate.

Acid phosphatase and prostate-specific antigen are extremely useful markers for the management of patients with prostatic carcinoma. Prostatic acid phosphatase, because of its relatively low sensitivity and specificity, as well as analyte instability and diurnal variability, is unsuitable for prostate cancer screening. Improved performance characteristics, stability, the lesser diurnal variation, and the association of elevated prostate-specific antigen with prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia make prostate-specific antigen possibly a better candidate for early detection of this common malignancy. Further investigations in this area are clearly indicated before we can recommend screening with prostate-specific antigen.