Incidence of syphilis in prostate specific antigen samples of patients attending cancer screening unit in Nigeria

Abstract

The relationship between prostate cancer and syphilis and the relevance of the known risk factors such as age, occupation and physical/social activities of these patients on this relationship was determined. Blood samples were collected by convenience sampling method from 132 men (45 – 89 yrs) attending the Cancer Screening Clinic of University College Hospital, Ibadan between January and June 2006. All these patients presented for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test for various reasons ranging from suspicious of prostate cancer to routine screening. The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) of these patients was categorized into 0-4μg/L (normal), 4.1-20μg/L and >20μg/L. Out of the 132 patients used in this study, fifty-six (42.4%) had Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) value of 0-4μg/L, twenty-six (19.6 %) had PSA value of 4.1-20μg/L and the rest of the patients ( 56%) with values; >20μg/L. A total of fourteen (10.6%) of these patients were syphilis positive, patients with normal PSA value had the least incidence of syphilis, 7.1% (4 out of 56). In patients with PSA >20μg/L the incidence was 12.0% (6 of 50) while the group 4.1-20μg/L recorded the highest incidence of syphilis with 15.4% (4 of 26). Highest incidence of syphilis was found at the age group 70-79 with PSA value 4.1-20μg/L, 25.0%, followed by age group 60-69 with PSA value >20μg/L, 22.2%. Retirees had 14.3 and 9.1% incidence of syphilis at the age groups 50-59 and 60-69 years respectively and at PSA value of 0-4μg/L. High PSA value was found to be more prevalent in retirees 65.0% (52 out of 80). This study suggests social status and age related relationship between syphilis and PSA.
(Afr. J. Biomed. Res. 10: 25 – 31, January 2007)

Keywords: Syphilis, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Prostate Specific Antigen, Prostate Cancer.