The significance of PSA/IGF-1 ratio in differentiating benign prostate hyperplasia from prostate cancer.

The importance of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in human serum for the early diagnosis of prostate cancer is controversial. The IGF-1/PSA ratio may improve the performance of prostate specific antigen (PSA) as a prostate cancer marker. IGF-1, along with PSA and free PSA concentration, was measured in the serum of 34 patients with prostate cancer and in 131 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).