Androgen Concentration in Blacks with Benign and Malignant Prostatic Disease

Abstract

We measured the concentrations of testosterone and its metabolites in serum and prostate glands of Nigerians, a low risk population for prostatic tumours, by means of radioimmunoassay after solvent and chromatographic extractions. Our results show that the values of serum testosterone in normal, elderly Nigerian men (447.0 ± 112ng./dl.) and those with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) (430 ± 112ng./dl.) were similar (p >0.05) and compare with values reported for Caucasians. In the Nigerian patients with advanced prostatic cancer, the serum testosterone concentrations (314 ± 202ng./dl.) were significantly lower (p <0.001) than those of Nigerians with normal prostate and BPH. This again is similar to reports in Caucasians with metastatic prostatic cancer.The serum concentrations of testosterone metabolites in our patients were the same in normal BPH and cancer subjects. The ratios of testosterone to its metabolites were similar in our normal and BPH subjects but lower in cancer patients. Also the testosterone concentrations in BPH glands of Nigerians (0.5 ± 0.03 SEMng./gm.) compared favourably with those reported from the western world. The testosterone concentrations in malignant prostate gland (7.9 ± .06 SEMng./gm.) were significantly higher than those in hypertrophic glands. This again agrees with the pattern in Caucasians. The DHT concentrations (4.9 ± 0.3 SEMng./gm.) were considerably higher in BPH than in cancerous glands (1.7 ± 0.2 SEMng./gm.). This pattern has been documented elsewhere.Because the concentrations and pattern of distribution of androgens in serum and prostate gland of our patients are comparable to published Caucasian and black American values, any difference in incidence rates of BPH and carcinoma of the prostate between whites, Afro-Americans and indigenous Africans may not be related to androgens.