any value to prostatic acid phosphatase test?

[kapakahi]

I'd never heard of this one before, but apparently it's been around a long time, was superseded by the PSA test, and now is sometimes used as an adjunct for prognosis in prostate cancer. I searched for it here, but just got tons of PSA and pap smear hits. Can anyone tell me its value and in what circumstances? Thanks.

[Tall_Allen]

It's what they used before PSA was found. It was dropped because it's less specific than PSA. Interestingly, Provenge is targeted to it. Why are you using it?

[kapakahi in reply to Tall_Allen]

I'm not using it, not yet anyway, if ever. I'm getting ready to test my PSA, and it appears on the Life Extension list of blood tests. All I know about it is what I read in Wikipedia, so given what it says there, I'm wondering if 1) if Wiki's entry is correct and 2) whether the test has any value. My own PSA is still low - 1.2 as of 8 weeks ago - but after so much HIFU abuse I have to wonder about the status of my cancer, which has never spread as far as I know. I'm just always suspicious about its sneakiness and deception. I have no idea what the normal blood level would be.

Prostatic acid phosphatase - Wikipedia:

"Serum markerPSAP was used to monitor and assess progression of prostate cancer until the introduction of prostate specific antigen (PSA), which has now largely displaced it. Subsequent work suggested that it has a role in prognosticating intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer, and led to renewed interest in it as a biomarker.[6]

Immunohistochemistry

PSAP immunohistochemical staining is often used with PSA (staining), by pathologists, to help distinguish poorly differentiated carcinomas. For example, poorly differentiated prostate adenocarcinoma (prostate cancer) and urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer) may appear similar under the microscope, but PSAP and PSA staining can help differentiate them;[7] prostate adenocarcinoma often stains with PSA and/or PSAP, while urothelial carcinoma does not."

[CorreaGlabra in reply to kapakahi]

I find this to be interesting information.

I have read accounts that previous to PSA in the '80s some urologists / centres tested, by bone aspiration, Acid Phosphatase levels prior to any radical treatment. If the levels in the bone were higher than in the serum they concluded that metastisis had already occurred and the radical treatment was cancelled.

At least that is my understanding, I will be researching it further and also discussing it with my medical team.

Thanks for the tidbits.

All the best.

[Ahk1]

Mine has been high for the last 9 months. I don’t ask for it but they do it when you do the psa. Mine is high 1.7