This week's artwork was donated by Dathan, a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . Thank you for whatever information you may provide. Dear Colleague, Thank you for your interest and question.
Acid phosphatases are a group of enzymes that hydrolyze esters of orthophosphoric acid.
In the 1930's, it was discovered that these were found in high concentration in the prostate and also that it was androgen regulated. Although present in the highest concentration in the prostate, acid phosphatases can also be found in various other tissues and in various isoenzymatic forms. Different assays have been attempted to make the test more prostate cancer specific. Thus, you have tests now called prostate acid phosphatase, but the specificity has never been improved significantly despite increased sensitivity. Based on the many documented inconsistencies with PAP, it has no significant role in the monitoring of patients after initial therapy.