1 Sep 2019Article
Low-serum testosterone and high-chromogranin A rare case associated with high-grade prostate cancer and higher pathological stages of the disease
Luciano Izzo 1Antonio Cardi 2Federico Pugliese 1Sara Izzo 1Paolo Izzo 1Stefano Valabrega 3Daniela Messineo 4Gorizio Pieretti 5
Affiliations
Article Info
1 “Pietro Valdoni” Department of Surgery, Policlinico” Umberto I, Sapienza” University, Rome, Italy
2 Department of Urology, San Giovanni Hospital, Rome, Italy
3 Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences and Translational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, “St. Andrea” Hospital, Rome, Italy
4 Department of Radiological Sciences, Oncology and Pathology, Policlinico “Umberto I”, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
5 Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, Plastic Surgery Unit, Università degli Studi della Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli, Naples ,Italy
Ann. Ital. Chir., 2019, 90(5), 451-456;
Published: 1 Sep 2019
Copyright © 2019 Annali Italiani di Chirurgia
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: CgA and testosterone are two serum markers that may be involved in prostate cancer. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship of testosterone and CgA to grades and stages of prostate cancer, particularly whether low-serum testosterone and high-serum CgA are associated with more aggressive grades, and higher pathological stages of the disease. METHODS: This perspective study included 121 men (Caucasian only) presenting with -newly-diagnosed, untreated prostate cancer. All the patients underwent radical prostatectomy. RESULTS: We subdivided the sample into two homogeneous groups, Group A with Gleason score ≤7 (3+4), and Group B with Gleason score ≥7 (4+3). Low testosterone (< 3 ng/ml) was most common among the members of Group B 80 % versus 12.6 % of Group A (p = 0.001). At the same time, elevated CgA (> 80 ng/ml) was present for a rate of 72 % in Group B, 28.1% in the Group A ( p = 0.001). The multivariate analysis we used revealed that low-serum testosterone and high-serum CgA are associated with higher pathological stages of the disease (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: The principal findings of this investigation were that low testosterone is correlated with elevated CgA levels, and these two parameters are associated with more aggressive grades and higher pathological stages of prostatic adenocarcinoma.
Keywords
- Chromogranin A
- Prostate cancer
- Risk factor for prostate cancer
- Testosterone