Enlarged Prostate Doesn't Raise a Man's Odds for Cancer

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 25, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Does having an enlarged prostate doom you to prostate cancer?

Far from it, a caller survey suggests.

Also called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the information whitethorn really supply immoderate extortion for men from processing prostate cancer, researchers report.

"Men are often anxious astir prostate cancer, arsenic it is the 2nd astir communal crab successful men, with immoderate worrying BPH increases their hazard of prostate cancer," said pb researcher Dr. Kiran Nandalur. He is vice main of diagnostic radiology and molecular imaging astatine Beaumont Hospital successful Royal Oak, Mich.

"Some erstwhile studies person demonstrated BPH whitethorn summation the hazard of cancer, fixed communal driving forces specified arsenic genetics, hormones and inflammation. Our survey should alleviate their concern, arsenic BPH whitethorn alteration their likelihood of prostate cancer," Nandalur said.

BPH is communal successful aging men and tin origin a predominant request to urinate, often astatine night, oregon a anemic travel of urine. This is due to the fact that the cardinal portion of the prostate enlarges and tin artifact urine from leaving the bladder.

Surprisingly, arsenic the prostate continues to enlarge, the likelihood of prostate crab goes down, Nandalur explained.

"Moreover, BPH decreases the likelihood of not conscionable a azygous absorption of cancer, but besides much than 1 site. Based connected these findings, BPH whitethorn beryllium producing mechanical unit passim the gland, which inhibits crab maturation and decreases the likelihood of prostate cancer," helium added.

For the study, Nandalur's squad collected information connected 405 men with BPH and looked for grounds of prostate crab connected MRIs of prostate tissue.

The researchers recovered that arsenic the size of the prostate increased, the hazard of prostate crab decreased. For each 1 cubic centimeter summation successful the measurement of the prostate, the hazard for prostate crab dropped by astir 3%, they noted.

"The size of the cardinal gland from BPH whitethorn assistance to stratify hazard for patients with prostate cancer," Nandalur said. "Currently, prostate crab patients are categorized into low, intermediate and precocious risk, with cardinal gland contributions not taken into account. In the future, the grade of BPH arsenic measured connected prostate MRI whitethorn besides beryllium contributory to assistance find prognosis and the people of therapy."

Some commonly utilized BPH drugs called 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors — including finasteride (Proscar) — alteration the size of the prostate, and person a U.S. Food and Drug Administration cause information informing due to the fact that they person been recovered to summation the hazard of high-grade prostate cancer, Nandalur noted.

"Our survey finds a imaginable mentation for the findings, arsenic decreasing the prostate size with these drugs whitethorn pb to decreased unit passim the gland and perchance let crab to grow. These are precise utile drugs to dainty BPH, but attraction should beryllium taken," Nandalur said.

Dr. Anthony D'Amico, a prof of radiation oncology astatine Harvard Medical School successful Boston, said that helium would instrumentality these survey results with a atom of salt.

"I would attack this with utmost caution," D'Amico said.

These findings could effect due to the fact that BPH makes crab harder to find with a biopsy, D'Amico said. "BPH could marque it harder to find crab due to the fact that your needle is present going into a overmuch smaller area. So I deliberation it's interesting, determination whitethorn beryllium thing there, but surely not thing that I would telephone conclusive astatine this time," helium explained.

The findings may, however, person a biologic explanation, helium said. "If you person a batch of BPH, that's competing with prostate crab for maturation factor, possibly the prostate crab gets a maturation disadvantage," D'Amico said. "That's a biologic premise, but it's not been proven."

D'Amico advises men with BPH to person an MRI and biopsy to beryllium definite determination isn't cancer.

"If you person a ample prostate I would not presume that immoderate prostate crab you person is going to beryllium clinically insignificant. You should inactive person an MRI and a fusion biopsy to regularisation retired clinically important disease," helium said. "This survey is interesting, but not conclusive."

The study was published online Aug. 10 successful the diary The Prostate.

More information

For much connected prostate cancer, caput to the American Cancer Society.

SOURCES: Kiran Nandalur, MD, vice chief, diagnostic radiology and molecular imaging, Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Mich.; Anthony D'Amico, MD, PhD, professor, radiation oncology, Harvard Medical School, Boston; The Prostate, Aug. 10, 2021, online