Correlation between Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels and Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System score: A Retrospective Study
Authors:   Clinic of Urology, Department of Urology and Nephrology, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Todorova Viktoria , Gatsev Ognyan ,   Clinic of Urology, Clinic of Nephrology, Department of Urology and Nephrology, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Hristov Konstantin ,   Clinic of Urology, Department of Urology and Nephrology, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Petkova Kremena ,   Clinic of Urology, Department of Urology and Nephrology, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Saltirov Iliya ,   Clinic of Urology, Clinic of Nephrology, Department of Urology and Nephrology, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria, Petrova Daniela ,   Clinic of Nephrology, Department of Urology and Nephrology, Military Medical Academy, Sofia, Bulgaria
Published: June 2024

Introduction: Prostate cancer is a prevalent and potentially lethal malignancy affecting men worldwide. To enhance early detection and accurate risk stratification, various diagnostic methods have been developed. Prostate cancer diagnoses include a digital rectal examination, prostate-specific antigen analysis and prostate biopsy in case prostate cancer is suspected. Total prostate-specific antigen (tPSA) is a widely used, first line and acceptable biomarker for prostate cancer screening. Rising tPSA levels cannot be a definitive diagnosis for prostate cancer and further examination is needed. Мagnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an irreplaceable part of prostate cancer diagnosis. The introduction of Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) in MRI of prostate gland precises the cases in which performance of target biopsy is needed by classifying suspected prostate lеsions according to the probability of detecting prostate cancer. Objectivе: The objective of this study is to assess the correlation between tPSA levels and PI-RADS scores in patients who underwent MRI of the prostate gland due to elevated tPSA levels. Material and methods: A retrospective study of 374 patients medical records was carried out from January 2019 to June 2023. All patients had tPSA over 4 ng/ml and underwent MRI. Lesions were classified according to PI-RADS v2.1. Results: Patients mean age was 67.8 ± 8.2 years. Mean prostate volume was 52.67 ± 19.6 cc. 87.5 % of the patients had a negative rectal digital exam and 12.5 % had a positive one. tPSA levels ranged from 4.10 to 500 ng/ml. Patients were categorized in four groups according to their tPSA levels: group A with tPSA levels ranging from 4 to 9.9 ng/ml; group B – tPSA from 10 to 19.9 ng/ ml; group C – tPSA from 20 to 39.9 ng/ml; group D – tPSA over 40 ng/ml. MRI and PI-RADS v2 scoring were performed in all patients. 29.4 % of the MRI exams found lesions scored as PI-RADS 3, 47.1 % – as PI-RADS 4 and 22.5 % as PI-RADS 5. There were only 3 cases of lesions categorized as PI-RADS 2 in the study. These patients did not undergo a biopsy and were followed up. 33.9 % of patients in group A were c assified with PI-RADS score 3, 52.3 % – PI-RADS score 4 and 13.8 % – PI-RADS 5. In group B 1.8 %were categorized in PI-RADS score 2, 28.9 % – PI-RADS score 3, 44.7 % were PI-RADS 4 and 24.6 % PI-RADS 5. In group C the majority of patients (47.9 % and 32.6 %) had lesions classified as PI-RADS 4 and 5. In group D most of the patients` lesions – 60.7 %, were categorized as PI-RADS 5. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between PI-RADS score and serum total PSA levels with a tendency of higher PI-RADS scores as the tPSA level reaches 10 ng/ml. Elevation of tPSa levels over 4 ng/ml requires MRI of the prostate gland and PI-RADS classification as a diagnostic and confirmation tool for further decision making.