Anogenital distance, a biomarker of fetal androgen exposure and the risk of prostate cancer: A case-control study.

Abstract

Evaluate the association between AGD and the risk of PCa. Incident case-control study, conducted on 153 patients. All patients underwent prostate biopsy for abnormal digital rectal exam and/or prostate antigen elevation. Two variants of AGD [anus to scrotum base (AGDas) and anus to dorsal insertion of penis (AGDap) were measured. Student's t-test was used to analyze continuous variables and chi-square for discrete variables. Differences in AGD (raw and adjusted) measures between cases and controls were assessed using the ANCOVA test. There is significant association between the diagnose of PCa and both AGD, patients diagnosed with PCa had both AGD measures shortened, in the crude and the full adjusted models. This research suggests that the same gestational environmental exposures, could represent a weak androgen signaling and may also have an increased risk of prostate cancer.