Prostate cancer incidence in men with self-reported prostatitis after 15 years of follow-up

Correlation between Prostatitis, Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer: A systematic review and Meta-analysis

Background: No consensus has been reached on the definite associations among prostatitis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa). Hence, this meta-analysis was conducted to explore their triadic relation by summarizing epidemiological evidence.

Methods: Systematical and comprehensive retrieval of online databases PubMed, PMC, EMBASE and Web of Science was performed to acquire eligible studies, up to April 1st, 2019. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to clarify their correlations.

Results: A total of 42 studies were enrolled in the quality assessment and 35 were finally included in the meta-analyses. Among them, 27 studies were included to describe the association between prostatitis and PCa (OR=1.72, 95% CI=1.44-2.06, I²=90.1%, P<0.001). 21 studies presented significant evidence about the relation between BPH and PCa (OR=2.16, 95% CI=1.75-2.88, I²=97.1%, P<0.001). Due to the huge heterogeneity among studies, those with obvious outliers were excluded based on the Galbraith plots. Ultimately, 17 studies were screened out to assess the association between prostatitis and PCa (OR=1.59, 95% CI=1.48-1.70, I²=29.4%, P=0.123). Meanwhile, 8 studies were retained to evaluate the association between BPH and PCa (OR=3.10, 95% CI=2.87-3.35, I²=8.4%, P=0.365). As for the relation between prostatitis and BPH, a case-control study and a cohort study both supported that prostatitis could enhance the risk of BPH.

Conclusions: Significant correlations were revealed among prostatitis, BPH and PCa. Prostatitis or BPH could lead to escalating risks of PCa. Meanwhile, people with a history of prostatitis might be more vulnerable to BPH.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Urinary Conditions in Men: A Classical Twin Study

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the genetic and environmental relationship among prostatitis and other urological conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (CaP), a classical twin design and biometric modeling was used. While prostatitis-characterized by pain and voiding symptoms, no clear etiology, and functional and quality of life impairments-co-occurs with other urinary conditions, the degree of shared overlapping etiologic processes among them remains unclear. We examined the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to these conditions and the etiology of their associations at the level of genetic and environmental influences.

METHODS

4380 monozygotic and dizygotic male twin pairs from the Vietnam Era Twin Registry reported lifetime physician-diagnosed prostatitis (combined acute and chronic), bladder problems, enlarged prostate/BPH, and CaP. Multivariate biometrical modeling estimated the magnitude of genetic and environmental influences for each condition, as well as their genetic and environmental covariance. The common pathway model tested the assumption that covariation among these urinary conditions is determined by a single latent factor.

RESULTS

Overall prevalence of prostatitis was 2.7%. Heritability estimates ranged from 19% for bladder problems to 42% for CaP. Significant shared environmental influences were present for CaP (12%), enlarged prostate/BPH (10%) but were smaller than genetic influences. A reduced one factor common pathway model provided the best fit, suggesting that covariation among the conditions is determined by a shared latent factor.

CONCLUSION

We identified a common, genetically-influenced factor that accounts for much of the comorbidity among these 4 disease conditions. Nonshared environmental factors also make a significant contribution.

Lycopene exerts anti-inflammatory effect to inhibit prostate cancer progression

Lycopene is a natural compound that alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation, exerting therapeutic effects in a number of cancers. The aim of this study is to investigate the efficacy of lycopene in inhibiting prostate cancer. Cell viability assays indicated the dose- and time-dependent toxicity of lycopene in prostate cancer cells. Annexin V/propidium iodide double-staining assays revealed the strong apoptotic effects of lycopene. The levels of inflammatory factors, including interleukin-1 (IL1), IL6, IL8, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), in lycopene-treated cells were also reduced by lycopene treatment. With the increasing dose of lycopene, the survival of mice bearing prostate cancer xenografts was significantly improved (P < 0.01), and the tumor burden was significantly reduced (P < 0.01). Our results indicate that lycopene is a promising chemotherapy drug, which inhibits prostate cancer progression by suppressing the inflammatory response.