Prostate biopsy and its outcome in a tertiary hospital in southern Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Diagnosis of prostatic diseases is via a prostate biopsy and subsequent histology. So, a prostate biopsy should be carried out to get a histological diagnosis when indicated. Materials and Methods: This is a five-year retrospective study conducted at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital. Ethical approval for the study was sought and gotten from the hospital’s ethical committee. The information gotten included history, duration of symptoms, examination findings, age of the patient, Gleason grade and histological diagnosis. The data from the folders were collected and evaluated. Frequencies, percentages, the mean and standard deviation were used to summarize the data as appropriate. Results: The age range was from 45 to 96 years with a mean age of 68.10 ± 9.11 years. A hundred and fifty patients had prostate cancer. The commonest grade of cancer was the Gleason grade 5 (46.67%). No statistically significant relationship between Gleason grade and age. Conclusion: The mean age of patients in this study was 68.10 ± 9.11. Over 50% of patients biopsied had prostate cancer, and 46.67% had a high-grade disease. Health awareness campaigns and screening programs in Africa to make people aware of prostatic diseases. Earlier presentation to the hospital when symptomatic will lead to better treatment.