High prevalence of prostatic neoplasia in Australian men.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to document the extremely high level of prostatic neoplasia among Australian men.


METHODS
The study was based on histological assessment of prostate tissue sampled from an unselected series of 133 cadavers referred for coronial autopsy at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Sydney South West Area Health Service, New South Wales.


RESULTS
Evidence of neoplastic growth was identified in prostate tissue sampled from 30% of the 70 men aged 50 years and over, with invasive carcinoma present in 25.7% of subjects, and suspected prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) in a further 4.3% of subjects. These findings were in marked contrast to the 63 subjects under 50 years of age. In this age group one subject had invasive prostate carcinoma, and one other had suspected PIN.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of invasive prostate carcinoma is extraordinarily high in this sample of Australian men. Among those subjects who were 50 years of age or over, more than one in four had apparently undiagnosed invasive cancer of the prostate gland.
Orde
Matthew M
MM
Department of Forensic Medicine, Sydney South West Area Health Service, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Whitaker
Noel J
NJ
Lawson
James S
JS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D055815:Young Adult