J Korean Biol Nurs Sci.  2020 May;22(2):71-80. 10.7586/jkbns.2020.22.2.71.

The Relationship Between Levels of Serum Testosterone and Prostate-specific Antigen in Healthy Men: An Integrative Review

• An GJ

• KMID: 2502591
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.7586/jkbns.2020.22.2.71

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to review primary research exploring the correlations between the levels of serum testosterone and the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in healthy men without prostate diseases.
Methods
An integrative review was conducted using the Whittemore & Knafle (2005) framework. The keywords, ‘testosterone & prostate-specific antigen’, ‘testosterone & PSA’ and ‘healthy men’ were used to search peer-reviewed publications in six databases. Among 1,959 searched articles, eleven articles were selected after excluding articles that do not meet inclusion criteria. Literature quality was moderate (Level 3).
Results
As a result of this study, it was confirmed through the nine articles that healthy adult men showed no significant correlation between the serum testosterone and the PSA. Conversely, two articles presented that the serum PSA correlate positively with the testosterone. In particular, it is inferred that the effect of the serum testosterone and the PSA secreted into a 24-hour circadian rhythm with different amplitudes and slopes would have had great influence. However, it does not consider the factors affecting the testosterone and the PSA, such as race, liver disease, and BMI, so there is insufficient empirical data to clearly explain the relationship between the testosterone and the PSA.
Conclusion
The correlation between the serum testosterone and the PSA in healthy adult men is insignificant in relation to the circadian rhythm of the testosterone and the PSA secretion. It is that a large-scale study including various influencing factors using new biochemical indicators such as pro PSA be conducted in the future.

Keyword

Adult; Prostate-specific antigen; Review; Testosterone