Increasing level of prostate-specific antigen and prostate cancer risk factors among 193 men examined in screening procedure

Ann Univ Mariae Curie Sklodowska Med. 2003;58(2):57-63.

Abstract

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men, therefore has become recently an essential problem of public health. The factors influencing cancer include: androgens metabolism disorders, diabetes mellitus, overweight and obesity, smoking, alcohol and black coffee intake, diet rich in saturated fats and poor in unsaturated, lack of physical activity, geographical zone, race, such carcinogenic substances as: cadmium, materials used in rubber, painting, printing, ship industry etc., contagious factors and also older age and a positive family history of the disease. To diagnose prostate cancer in its early stage such screening procedures as physical examination--digital rectal exam (DRE) and determination of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level in blood serum are used. The aim of the study was to assess prostate cancer risk factors occurrence in the examined 193 men, aged 50-70 years, who reported to urology outpatient department at Clinical Hospital in Lublin, measure the PSA level in blood serum and examine the correlation between them. Respondents filled in a questionnaire about the presence of prostate cancer risk factors and urogenital symptoms. The questionnaire was completed with DRE and PSA measurement. The results led us to the following conclusions: 1/ in the studied population elevated PSA level is determined in 3.1% of 193 examined men, 2/ increased PSA occurs mainly in men from rural areas, with elementary education, divorced, older (>60 years), using fat-rich diet, smokers, black coffee drinkers, with overweight or obesity and non diabetic, 3/ a combination of PSA test with DRE seems to be useful and rather cheap for the detection of prostate cancer in the early stage of its development.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Mass Screening* / methods
  • Middle Aged
  • Poland / epidemiology
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen / blood*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / epidemiology
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Prostatic Neoplasms / prevention & control*
  • Risk Factors

Substances

  • Prostate-Specific Antigen