The introduction of an immunoassay for prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP)  in 1977 was hailed as a breakthrough in monitoring prostate cancer.  However, the popularity of PAP steadily waned following the development of increasingly more sensitive and specific immunoassays for  prostate specific antigen (PSA).  PAP is elevated in only 12% of men with stage A cancer, while PSA is elevated in 65%. Because of  its poor sensitivity, most laboratories ceased performing PAP and replaced it with PSA.    

Reference

Seamonds B, Yang N, Anderson K, Whitaker B, Shaw LM, Bollinger JR. Evaluation of prostate-specific antigen and prostatic acid phosphatase as prostate cancer markers. Urology. 1986 Dec;28(6):472-9. doi: 10.1016/0090-4295(86)90146-9. PMID: 2431533.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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