title: Can mycoplasma contribute to formation of prostate cancer?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To reveal the possible role of mycoplasmas in the etiopathogenesis of prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the study, prostate biopsy was performed on 62 patients with an abnormal digital rectal examination and/or elevated PSA. The patients' age was between 62 and 77 (mean 65.4 years) years. Thirty-one patients had adenocarcinoma of the prostate histopathologically (group 1). From these patients, the specimens were divided into two subgroups as specimens with malignant findings (group 1A) and specimens with benign findings (group 1B). The control group consisted of 31 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (group 2). In the specimens, the presence of mycoplasma DNA was investigated by the polymerase chain reaction method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mycoplasma DNA was found to be positive in 11 (35.4 %) patients in group 1A and in 4 (12.9 %) patients in group 1B. There was no mycoplasma DNA in the patients in group 2. The differences between group 1A and group 1B, and between group 1A and group 2 were statistically significant (p values, respectively, 0.006 and 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data supported the thesis that mycoplasma infections play a role in the etiopathogenesis of the prostate cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, School of Medicine, University of Gaziantep, 27310 Gaziantep, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sakip M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Erturhan
authors.forename: Omer
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bayrak
authors.forename: Sacide
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pehlivan
authors.forename: Hanifi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozgul
authors.forename: Ilker
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Seckiner
authors.forename: Tugce
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sever
authors.forename: Metin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karakök
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D051517:Digital Rectal Examination; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009174:Mycoplasma / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D009175:Mycoplasma Infections / Q000150:complications*; D011467:Prostate / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000382:microbiology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen