Elevated Levels of Prostate-Specific Antigen in Serum of Women With Fibroadenomas and Breast Cysts

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Abstract
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a valuable serum marker for diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer. In males, the reference range is about 1-2 ng, and values above 3-4 ngare indicative of either prostate cancer, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or prostatitis. Women have no prostate, and levels of PSA in female serum should be very low or undetectable. Many recent reports, however, confirm that PSA is produced in the female breast (1). A relatively large study examined the levels of PSA in female serum and confirmed that, among serum samples from 1064 women, the highest concentration observed was 0.9 ng. The median PSA in normal women is about 0.002 ng(2). Women with hyperandrogenic syndromes may have levels up to 0.6 ng.