Prostate specific antigen and pathological features of prostate cancer in black and white patients: a comparative study based on radical prostatectomy specimens.
OBJECTIVE
We compared the relationship of pathological features and preoperative prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels of a consecutive series of black patients to a stage matched cohort of white patients treated during the same period.


METHODS
The radical prostatectomy specimens of 40 black patients were reviewed and tumor volume was determined. Histopathological features (stage, grade, zonal distribution of cancer foci), tumor volume and prostate weight were correlated to pretreatment serum PSA levels. These parameters were compared with those of 148 white patients matched by pathological stage.


RESULTS
Black patients exhibited a significantly higher incidence of seminal vesicle involvement (p=0.03) and cancers with a Gleason score of 8 or more (p=0.02), and a trend toward decreased pathologically organ confined, margin negative disease (40% black versus 53% white men, p=0.13). Although the incidences of multifocal cancer were virtually identical (90 and 82%) in the 2 groups, black patients exhibited a higher incidence of transition zone cancer foci (p <0.001). Mean prostate tumor volume, total gland weight and serum PSA level among black and white patients with pathological stage pT2-, pT2+ and pT3- cancer were not significantly different. However, with advancing pathological stage (pT3+ and pT3c) disease black patients had higher preoperative serum PSA levels on univariate and multivariate analyses despite similar total gland weight and tumor volume.


CONCLUSIONS
Black patients who underwent radical prostatectomy often exhibited adverse pathological features. Two novel findings were that the distribution of cancer foci within the prostate was significantly different between black and white patients, and that serum PSA levels in patients with locally advanced prostate cancer were higher in black than in white men, despite adjustment for known variables affecting PSA. These observations suggest that differences in the biology of prostate cancer between these 2 races may exist.
Department of Urology, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston 77030, USA.
C A
CA
Pettaway
P
P
Troncoso
E I
EI
Ramirez
D A
DA
Johnston
L
L
Steelhammer
R J
RJ
Babaian
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044383:Black People; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009929:Organ Size; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D012669:Seminal Vesicles / Q000473:pathology; D044465:White People
D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen