[Can antibiotic treatment exclude inflammation in the differential diagnosis of elevated PSA?]

Abstract

Considering that antibiotic treatment may elevated the level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and hence limit the specificity of PSA test for prostate cancer, urologists use empiric antibiotic treatment for men with increased PSA levels. But it is controversial whether antibiotic treatment can exclude inflammation in the differential diagnosis of PSA elevation. Some researchers have found that antibiotic treatment can decrease inflammation-induced PSA elevation and help to reduce unnecessary biopsies, while others have reported that antibiotic treatment has no significant effect on the PSA level, and the lowered level of PSA following antibiotic treatment does not mean the decreased risk of prostate cancer. Further researches are needed to confirm the value of antibiotic treatment before biopsy.