OBJECTIVES: Body mass index (BMI) may alter serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and percent free PSA (%fPSA) and may mask the risk of prostate cancer. We investigated the relationship between BMI and PSA or %fPSA. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Height, weight, PSA and %fPSA were assessed in 616 consecutive screened men without prostate cancer. Continuously coded and categorised BMI was studied. Statistical analyses consisted of ANOVA, linear regression, bivariate and partial correlations. RESULTS: Median age was 57 years. Median PSA was 1.0 and median %fPSA was 26. Median BMI was 25.8 kg/m(2). Neither continuously coded nor categorised BMI correlated with either PSA or %fPSA in unadjusted or age-adjusted analyses (all p values > or = 0.3). CONCLUSIONS: Body mass index does not affect PSA or %fPSA in men without known prostate cancer, who undergo prostate cancer screening. Therefore, PSA or %fPSA-based screening or early detection efforts do not require an adjustment for BMI.
