title: Corpulence is the crucial factor: association of testosterone and/or obesity with prostate cancer stage.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether low testosterone levels or obesity, or both, are directly associated with tumor stage/grade in patients with clinically localized prostate cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Preoperative androgen serum levels (total and free testosterone), sex hormone-binding globulin, body mass index and waist circumference were assessed in 510 consecutive European Caucasian men treated with radical prostatectomy. Hormone levels and body mass index/waist circumference were correlated with patient- and tumor-specific characteristics using multivariable logistic regression analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Even though we confirmed an inverse correlation between bodyweight and testosterone levels, only overweight - but not low testosterone - was associated with advanced disease and poor differentiation of prostate cancer. Using multivariate analyses, both body mass index ≥30 kg/m(2) and waist circumference >110 cm were associated with high-grade disease (Gleason score ≥8). A waist circumference >110 cm also correlated significantly with lymph node metastasis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first study showing that obesity, but not low serum testosterone levels, is significantly associated with high grade and metastatic disease in men diagnosed with clinically localized prostate cancer. The present findings suggest that low androgen levels at diagnosis, which used to be held responsible for the development of aggressive prostate cancer, is only an epiphenomenon of obesity rather than the cause of prostate cancer development and/or progression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Florian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jentzmik
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Schnoeller
authors.forename: Marcus V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Cronauer
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Steinestel
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Steffens
authors.forename: Friedemann
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zengerling
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al Ghazal
authors.forename: Mark G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Schrader
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Steinestel
authors.forename: Andres J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Schrader
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000556:secondary*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin / Q000378:metabolism; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*; D055105:Waist Circumference
chemical_list: D012738:Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin; D013739:Testosterone; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen
keywords: grade; obesity; overweight; prostate cancer; prostatectomy; stage; testosterone