Serum levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA) after primary vaccination with BNT162b2

Abstract

We retrospectively analyzed 37 male healthy employees (mean age: 61±8 years) of the Pederzoli Hospital in Peschiera del Garda (Verona, Italy) who completed a primary vaccination cycle with the COVID-19 vaccine BNT162b2. Blood samples were drawn by standard venipuncture immediately before the first BNT162b2 dose, 21 days thereafter and thus immediately before the second BNT162b2 dose, and 1 month after the second vaccine dose (i.e., 50 days after the first BNT162b2 dose). Serum PSA levels were not significantly different from baseline (median: 0.9 ng/mL; IQR: 0.61-1.88 ng/mL) after the first BNT162b2 dose (median: 0.7 ng/mL; IQR: 0.48-1.26 ng/mL; p=0.074), and were even lower than at baseline after the second BNT162b2 dose (median: 0.7 ng/mL; IQR: 0.39-1.29 ng/mL; p=0.001).  Our results suggest that the BNT162b2 vaccine may also have a beneficial effect on prostate biology and function, by reducing circulating PSA levels.