Testosterone levels in benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer.
BACKGROUND
Although hormones play fundamental roles in prostate growth, their clinical significance is not completely clear. In the present study we assessed whether serum hormone levels are markers of prostate disease.


METHODS
In 128 patients with benign prostatic hypertrophy or prostate cancer, testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and prolactin levels were correlated with disease. In patients with prostate cancer, the hormone levels were also correlated with prognostic factors. Predictive values were assessed for prostate-specific antigen and testosterone levels only, using multiple logistic regression analysis and receiver operating characteristic curves.


RESULTS
The testosterone concentrations were significantly lower in patients with prostate cancer than in those with benign prostatic hypertrophy and were also significantly lower in patients with advanced-stage disease than in patients with organ-confined disease. Testosterone appears to be an independent predictor of disease and enhances the predictive accuracy for benign prostatic hypertrophy and prostate cancer.


CONCLUSIONS
This study supports experimental findings that prostate cancer is frequently associated with low testosterone concentrations. In the diagnostic workup for prostate cancer, associating prostate-specific antigen and testosterone levels may improve the predictive accuracy of prostate disease tests.
Mearini
Luigi
L
Department of Urology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. luigi.mearini@tin.it
Costantini
Elisabetta
E
Zucchi
Alessandro
A
Mearini
Ettore
E
Bini
Vittorio
V
Cottini
Emanuele
E
Porena
Massimo
M
D000368:Aged; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011388:Prolactin / Q000097:blood; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000097:blood*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
D013739:Testosterone; D011388:Prolactin; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone