OBJECTIVETo determine the age-related normal ranges of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level in men free of prostate cancer in Beijing.

METHODSForm April 2010 to October 2011, 1611 healthy men undergoing routine physical examinations in our hospital were enrolled and received examinations with serum PSA test, digital rectal examination and transrectal ultrasound. The men with abnormalities in any two of the three examinations were referred to a prostate biopsy. The men with normal results in any two of the examinations or with a negative biopsy finding were defined as men without prostate cancer. Men with a prior history of prostate cancer/surgery or with urinary tract infection/obstruction were excluded.

RESULTSA total of 1572 men without prostate cancer were finally included in this study and stratified into 5 age groups, namely 40 to 49, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, 70 to 79, and older than 80 years groups. The median PSA values (95th percentile ranges) of these age groups were 0.506 (1.565), 1.04 (2.920), 1.16 (4.113), 1.34 (5.561), and 2.975(7.285), respectively, and the 25th to 75th percentiles were 0.343 to 0.923, 0.663 to 1.580, 0.693 to 2.203, 0.789 to 2.368, and 1.188 to 4.295, respectively. The serum PSA value was positively correlated with age (r=0.314, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONUsing the age-related reference ranges for PSA can increase the sensitivity for screening prostate cancer in younger men and decrease the biopsy rate in elderly patients.