PROSTATE CANCER AND THE RELEVANCE OF PROSTATE SPECIFIC ANTIGEN LEVEL, TRANSRECTAL ULTRASOUND BIOPSY AND HISTOLOGICAL RESULTS

Abstract

Objectives. Prostate Cancer is the second most diagnosed type of cancer in all men, with a mortality rate in the Republic of Moldova of 4.2%. A spread screening process is assured by measuring the level of prostate-specific antigen, and the gold standard for its diagnostics is transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy. The aim of the study is to highlight the clinical identification of prostate-specific antigen and transrectal ultrasound biopsy.

Methods. This study was performed in Republican Clinical Hospital “Timofei Moșneaga” on 368 patients starting from May 2016 to December 2021. There was performed a retrospective evaluation of patients who had undergone transrectal ultrasound prostate biopsy, thus there were collected: prostate-specific antigen level, number of cores taken at biopsy, and histopathologic results.

Results. The study includes patients aged 50-90 years. Prostate-specific antigen levels ranged from 1,14 to 313 ng/ml, with a mean of 26.28 ng/ml. The diagnoses of Adenocarcinoma were identified in 58,15% (214) patients; Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) in 29,62% (109) patients and Atypical Small Acinar Proliferation in 12,23% (45) patients. The prostate-specific antigen average in the patients with adenocarcinoma is 89,4 ng/ml (3,18 ng/ml - 177,00 ng/ml). The average prostate-specific antigen level in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia is 37,16 ng/ml (0,32 - 74,00 ng/ml). An average of 22,99 ng/ml (3,29 - 44,70 ng/ml) was found in the patients diagnosed with atypical small acinar proliferation. There were 31 cases of adenocarcinoma in patients under the age of 60, with 8,53% (7) patients diagnosed between 2016 and 2018, and 16,67% (24) patients diagnosed between 2019 and 2021.

Conclusions. The level of prostate-specific antigen and transrectal ultrasound are useful. The study also shows that the identification rate of prostatic cancer in patients under 60 years old is increasing.