Comparability of serum prostate-specific antigen measurement between the Roche Diagnostics Elecsys 2010 and Abbott Architect i2000

Background Most prostate cancers are characterized by a significant rise in the production of serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which is used widely in screening for prostate cancer. Within New Zealand, PSA is measured on automated immunoassay analysers, including models by Abbott Laboratories (Architect 2000) and Roche Diagnostics (Elecsys 2010). These assays produce similar, but not identical, results.Objective To compare the measurement of PSA between the Elecsys 2010 and the Architect i2000 assay.Methods We measured PSA concentrations in each of 194 serum samples using both the Roche Elecsys 2010 and the Abbott Architect i2000 and compared the results using various statistical methods.Results PSA concentrations measured on the Architect i2000 system were less than those on the Elecsys 2010 system, by an average of 11%.Conclusion Because the results from the two assays are different, reference intervals appropriate to the method of PSA measurement should be used.