Serum levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) are not predictive of prostate cancer diagnosis and aggressiveness: results from an Italian biopsy cohort.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the association between serum levels of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) and the risk of developing prostate cancer (PCa) as well as high grade disease in men undergoing prostate biopsy.


METHODS
Between 2006 and 2012, we prospectively enrolled 740 patients with no history of PCa undergoing prostate biopsy. Before biopsy general data of the patient DRE, PSA and BMI were recorded. The risk of detecting cancer and high grade cancer was assessed as a function of SHBG using crude and adjusted logistic regressions.


RESULTS
Serum levels of SHBG were not associated with an increased risk of PCa or high grade disease. Age (OR 1.027 95% CI 1.003-1.052 p = 0.027), DRE (OR 3.391 95% CI 2.258-5.092 p = 0.000) and PSA (OR 1.078 95% CI 1.037-1.120 p = 0.000) were found to be independent predictors of prostate cancer risk. Age (OR 1.051 95% CI 1.009-1.095 p = 0.016), DRE (OR 2.519 95% CI 1.384-4.584 p = 0.000), BMI (OR 1.098 95% CI 1.011-1.193 p = 0.027) and PSA (OR 1.074 95% CI 1.014-1.137 p = 0.015) were found to be independent predictors of high grade disease.


CONCLUSIONS
In our cohort of patients, serum levels of SHBG are not predictive of PCa or high grade disease. According to our experience SHBG should not be considered a biomarker in PCa diagnosis neither a marker for high grade disease.
Department of Urology, Ospedale Sant'Andrea, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Cosimo
C
De Nunzio
Riccardo
R
Lombardo
Simone
S
Albisinni
Mauro
M
Gacci
Andrea
A
Tubaro
D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D001706:Biopsy; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness / Q000473:pathology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011467:Prostate / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000032:analysis*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen