Korean J Urol.  2014 Jul;55(7):465-469. 10.4111/kju.2014.55.7.465.

Is There an Association Between Serum Prostate-Specific Antigen Values and Serum Testosterone Levels in Healthy Men?

Affiliations
  • 1Urology Department, School of Medicine and Health Science, An-Najah University, Nablus, West-Bank, Palestine. dr_mahmoud681@yahoo.com
  • 2Department of Urology, Kartal Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
  • 3Department of Biochemistry, Osmaniye state Hospital, Osmaniye, Turkey.

Abstract

PURPOSE
To evaluate the relationship between levels of total testosterone and total prostate-specific antigen (PSA) in healthy men with PSA<4 ng/mL.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The study comprised 179 men with a mean age of 59.19+/-12 years who visited Osmaniye State Hospital, Osmaniye, Turkey, between January 2006 and January 2007 for a routine checkup. The patients were divided into two subgroups: patients with PSA<2.5 mg/ml (group I, n=160 patients) and patients with PSA of 2.5 to 4 ng/mL (group II, n=19 patients). The relationship between PSA and testosterone levels was investigated in both groups and in patients aged <60 years. The mean testosterone level was calculated for patients aged <50 years and was compared with the mean value of patients aged > or =50 years.
RESULTS
In all patients, the mean values for serum PSA and total testosterone were 1.27+/-0.88 ng/mL and 404.04+/-158.86 ng/mL, respectively. No correlation was detected between serum PSA and testosterone levels in either subgroup (group I, r=0.072, p=0.363; group II, r=0.031, p=0.900) or in patients aged <60 years (r=0.032, p=0.72). The mean values of testosterone in patients aged > or =50 years and in patients aged <50 years were 417.01+/-163.35 and 344.16+/-120.21 ng/dL, respectively (p=0.02).
CONCLUSIONS
No impact of testosterone was found on the PSA level in healthy men with PSA <4 ng/mL. Therefore, a high serum testosterone level may not mandate adjustment of PSA values. This serum sex hormone showed a significant increment after the age of 50 years. Further studies including a larger number of patients should be carried out to confirm these findings.

Keyword

Prostate; Prostate neoplasms; Prostate-specific antigen; Testosterone

MeSH Terms

Aged
Aging/blood
Humans
Kallikreins/*blood
Male
Middle Aged
Prostate-Specific Antigen/*blood
Reference Values
Testosterone/*blood
Tumor Markers, Biological/blood
Kallikreins
Prostate-Specific Antigen
Testosterone
Tumor Markers, Biological

Reference

1. Hernández J, Thompson IM. Prostate-specific antigen: a review of the validation of the most commonly used cancer biomarker. Cancer. 2004; 101:894–904.
2. Black MH, Diamandis EP. The diagnostic and prognostic utility of prostate-specific antigen for diseases of the breast. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2000; 59:1–14.
3. Martínez-Piñeiro L, Tabernero A, Contreras T, Madero R, Lozano D, Lopez-Tello J, et al. Determination of the percentage of free prostate-specific antigen helps to avoid unnecessary biopsies in men with normal rectal examinations and total prostate-specific antigen of 4-10 ng/ml. Eur Urol. 2000; 37:289–296.
4. Mustafa M, Ali-El-Dein B, Mohsen T, Ibrahiem E. The ethnic and geographic variation in the diagnostic values of prostate specific antigens and its derivatives in detecting prostate cancer. New Urol J. 2009; 5:27–30.
5. Vicentini FC, Botelho LA, Hisano M, Ebaid GX, Lucon M, Lucon AM, et al. Are total prostate-specific antigen serum levels in cirrhotic men different from those in normal men? Urology. 2009; 73:1032–1035.
6. Akdogan M, Hassoun BS, Gurakar A, El-Sahwi K, Jazzar A, Wright H, et al. Prostate-specific antigen levels among cirrhotic patients. Int J Biol Markers. 2002; 17:161–164.
7. Mistry T, Digby JE, Desai KM, Randeva HS. Obesity and prostate cancer: a role for adipokines. Eur Urol. 2007; 52:46–53.
8. Putnam SD, Cerhan JR, Parker AS, Bianchi GD, Wallace RB, Cantor KP, et al. Lifestyle and anthropometric risk factors for prostate cancer in a cohort of Iowa men. Ann Epidemiol. 2000; 10:361–369.
9. Ku Ja, Kim ME, Lee NK, Park YH, Ahn JO. Influence of age, anthropometry, and hepatic and renal function on serum prostate-specific antigen levels in healthy middle-age men. Urology. 2003; 61:132–136.
10. Agledahl I, Skjaerpe PA, Hansen JB, Svartberg J. Low serum testosterone in men is inversely associated with non-fasting serum triglycerides: the Tromsø study. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2008; 18:256–262.
11. Guay AT, Perez JB, Fitaihi WA, Vereb M. Testosterone treatment in hypogonadal men: prostate-specific antigen level and risk of prostate cancer. Endocr Pract. 2000; 6:132–138.
12. Coward RM, Simhan J, Carson CC 3rd. Prostate-specific antigen changes and prostate cancer in hypogonadal men treated with testosterone replacement therapy. BJU Int. 2009; 103:1179–1183.
13. Leifke E, Gorenoi V, Wichers C, Von Zur Muhlen A, Von Buren E, Brabant G. Age-related changes of serum sex hormones, insulin-like growth factor-1 and sex-hormone binding globulin levels in men: cross-sectional data from a healthy male cohort. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 2000; 53:689–695.
14. Lunenfeld B. Aging men: challenges ahead. Asian J Androl. 2001; 3:161–168.
15. Harman SM, Metter EJ, Tobin JD, Pearson J, Blackman MR. Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Longitudinal effects of aging on serum total and free testosterone levels in healthy men. Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2001; 86:724–731.
16. Winters SJ, Brufsky A, Weissfeld J, Trump DL, Dyky MA, Hadeed V. Testosterone, sex hormone-binding globulin, and body composition in young adult African American and Caucasian men. Metabolism. 2001; 50:1242–1247.
17. Pierorazio PM, Ferrucci L, Kettermann A, Longo DL, Metter EJ, Carter HB. Serum testosterone is associated with aggressive prostate cancer in older men: results from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. BJU Int. 2010; 105:824–829.
18. Sanchez-Ortiz RF, Troncoso P, Babaian RJ, Lloreta J, Johnston DA, Pettaway CA. African-American men with nonpalpable prostate cancer exhibit greater tumor volume than matched white men. Cancer. 2006; 107:75–82.
19. Hoffman MA, DeWolf WC, Morgentaler A. Is low serum free testosterone a marker for high grade prostate cancer? J Urol. 2000; 163:824–827.
20. Schatzl G, Madersbacher S, Thurridl T, Waldmuller J, Kramer G, Haitel A, et al. High-grade prostate cancer is associated with low serum testosterone levels. Prostate. 2001; 47:52–58.
21. Imamoto T, Suzuki H, Fukasawa S, Shimbo M, Inahara M, Komiya A, et al. Pretreatment serum testosterone level as a predictive factor of pathological stage in localized prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy. Eur Urol. 2005; 47:308–312.
22. Yamamoto S, Yonese J, Kawakami S, Ohkubo Y, Tatokoro M, Komai Y, et al. Preoperative serum testosterone level as an independent predictor of treatment failure following radical prostatectomy. Eur Urol. 2007; 52:696–701.
Full Text Links
  • KJU
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr