Measurement of prostatic acid phosphatase in serum and bone marrow: radioimmunoassay and enzymic measurement compared.

We quantitated the concentrations of prostatic acid phosphatases (EC 3.1.3.2) in serum and bone-marrow aspirates with three commercial radioimmunoassay kits, and the catalytic activities with a thymolphthalein monophosphate-based enzyme test. The enzyme's immunological activity in serum was compared with its catalytic activity for its potential as a detector of early prostatic cancer and its performance as an early marker of metastatic activity in bone. Neither measurement is useful for detecting early stages of prostatic cancer. The spread of carcinoma to lymph nodes or to bone is detected with greater frequency by radioimmunoassay than by the enzymic test. Radioimmunoassay also detected metastasis to the bone more frequently than did physical methods. Analytical and clinical performance of the four methods is described.