Prostate cancer volume associates with preoperative plasma levels of testosterone that independently predicts high grade tumours which show low densities (quotient testosterone/tumour volume)

Abstract

ObjectiveTo investigate potential associations of preoperative total testosterone (TT) with tumor volume (TV) and grade of prostate cancer (PCa). MethodsPatients who were under medications impacting on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-testis-prostate axis were excluded. TT was measured preoperatively at least 1 month after biopsies and TV was calculated on the removed prostate specimen. Other continuous variables included total prostate specific antigen (PSA), percentage of positive cores (P+) and weight (W) of the removed prostate. Patients were categorized according to the pathologic Gleason score (pGS) in 3 groups (pGS 6, 7 and > 7). Invasion of the seminal vesicles was coded as seminal vesicle invasion (SVI). ResultsThe median levels of TT were significantly and increasingly higher from pGS 6 (14.7 nmol/L) to pGS 7 (15.0 nmol/L) and pGS > 7 (18.8 nmol/L). The median values of TV were also detected significantly and increasingly higher from pGS 6 (5.6 mL) to pGS 7 (8.1 mL) and pGS > 7 (14.8 mL). The median preoperative levels of PSA were also increasing from pGS 6 (5.9 μg/L) to pGS 7 (6.2 μg/L) and pGS > 7 (7.7 μg/L). There was a significant and positive correlation of TV to PSA, TT and P+. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that TV was significantly and independently predicted by TT, PSA and P+. High grade PCa (pGS > 7) independently associated with TV, TT, P+ and SVI. The median density values of TT relative to TV (quotient TT/TV) significantly decreased from pGS 6 (2.6 nmol/L/mL) to pGS 7 (1.9 nmol/L/mL) and pGS > 7 (1.4 nmol/L/mL). The median density values of PSA relative to TV (quotient PSA/TV) also significantly decreased from pGS (1.1 μg/L/mL) to pGS 7 (0.7 μg/L/mL) and pGS > 7 (0.6 μg/L/mL). ConclusionThe investigation shows that TT relates to volume and grade of PCa; moreover, the density of TT relative to TV inversely associates with rate of increase of cancer that depends on the grade of the tumour.