Correlation between age and Chromogranin A determination in prostate diseases.
BACKGROUND
Serum levels of Chromogranin A (CgA) were measured in consecutive patients with prostate diseases in order to evaluate the impact of age on CgA diagnostic significance.


METHODS
Serum levels of CgA were determinated in 217 consecutive patients immediately before prostate biopsy: CgA differences between cases (prostate cancer PC) and control (benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH) were analyzed, and CgA performance in prediction of PC was compared with age and standard diagnostic tools. CgA values were also analyzed in patients affected by PC, and compared with age and standard prognostic parameters.


RESULTS
At multivariate analysis, CgA approaches a statistically significant value as independent predictor of PC and positively correlates with age. In PC group, CgA positively correlates with age, while no correlations are found with PSA, Gleason score or stage of disease.


CONCLUSIONS
Age, correlating with CgA values in overall population and in PC subgroup, emerged as a confounding factor in CgA determination. Serum CgA has not been demonstrated as a diagnostic marker of PC being only a marker of neuroendocrine differentiation. Cga values did not correlate with other clinical prognostic factors, except age, in untreated-naive PC.
Urology Department, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy. luigi.mearini@tin.it
Luigi
L
Mearini
Alessandro
A
Zucchi
Emanuele
E
Scarponi
Elisabetta
E
Nunzi
Maria Chiara
MC
Aglietti
Vittorio
V
Bini
Massimo
M
Porena
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D053379:Chromogranin A / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011469:Prostatic Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis; D012372:ROC Curve
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053379:Chromogranin A; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen