Lee SE et al. (2008) Relationship of prostate-specific antigen and prostate volume in Korean men with biopsy-proven benign prostatic hyperplasia. Urology 71: 395–398

Previous studies have shown that there is an association between serum PSA level and prostate volume in men without prostate cancer. Most of these studies, however, were performed in Western populations. Evidence suggests that an association between PSA level and prostate volume might differ between white men and Asian men; therefore, Lee and colleagues investigated this relationship in a single-center study of 707 Korean men with biopsy-proven benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Patients with raised serum PSA level (3–10 ng/ml) or abnormal digital rectal examination underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy to confirm BPH. To avoid using data from patients with prostate cancer, participants with a PSA level >10 ng/ml were excluded. Prostate volume was measured with ultrasonography.

The mean age of the 707 patients was 62.7 years (range 38–83 years), and the mean PSA level was 5.1 ng/ml (range 0.27–9.8 ng/ml). PSA level significantly correlated with prostate volume in all age categories (<50 years, 50–59 years, 60–69 years and ≥70 years). The strongest correlation was reported in the 60–69 years subgroup (r = 0.47, P <0.001), and the weakest correlation was observed in the <50 years subgroup (r = 0.29, P = 0.034); thus, an age-dependent increase in correlation between PSA level and prostate volume was apparent.

The authors conclude that the relationship between PSA level and prostate volume is consistent with studies in men of other ethnicities; however, further basic research is required in order to understand fully the interethnic differences in BPH pathophysiology.