Prostate-specific antigen and its molecular forms in blood serum of healthy women and women with breast disease

The purpose of the study was to provide data on the sources of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in women, as well as on serum PSA levels in healthy women and in women with benign and malignant breast cancer. Material and Methods. We analyzed 50 publications available from PubMed, Medline, Google Scholar concerning non-prostatic sources of PSA and its use as a serum tumor-associated marker for benign and malignant breast tumors. Results. In our study, we focus on the recent findings on non-prostatic sources and regulation of PSA synthesis in women as well as on changes in serum concentrations of this marker in patients with benign and malignant breast tumors. Various PSA isoforms (total PSA and free PSA) and free/total ratio for the detection of breast cancer and the assessment of treatment response and early detection of breast cancer recurrence were analyzed. Conclusion. The results obtained highlight the value of the assessment of PSA isoforms for early detection, prediction of therapy response and detection of breast cancer relapse. However, further studies are needed to identify the role of PSA isoforms in the diagnosis and monitoring of breast cancer patients.