Circulating estradiol, but not testosterone, is a significant predictor of high-grade prostate cancer in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy

BACKGROUND:

The objective of this study was to assess the association between preoperative circulating levels of 17β‐estradiol (E₂) and high‐grade prostate cancer (HGPCa) (Gleason grade ≥4 + 3) at the time patients underwent radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP).

METHODS:

Serum total testosterone (tT), sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG), and E₂ levels were measured the day before surgery (8‐10 AM ) in a cohort of 655 consecutive Caucasian‐ European patients who underwent RRP at a single institution. Logistic regression models were used to test the association between predictors (including age, body mass index, prostate‐specific antigen [PSA], clinical tumor classification, biopsy Gleason sum, tT, SHBG, and E₂) and HGPCa. Serum E₂ was included in the model as both a continuous variable and a categorized variable (according to the most informative cutoff: 50 pg/mL).

RESULTS:

Pathologic HGPCa was identified in 156 patients (23.8%). Patients with HGPCa had significantly higher PSA, clinical tumor classification, and biopsy Gleason sum than those without HGPCa (all P < .001). No other significant differences were observed between groups. At univariate analysis, continuously coded E₂ was not associated significantly with HGPCa (odds ratio [OR], 1.009; P = .25), whereas patients with E₂ levels ≥50 pg/mL had a 3.24‐fold increased risk of HGPCa (P < .001). At multivariate analysis, E₂ was associated significantly with HGPCa both as a continuous predictor (OR, 1.02; P = .04) and as a categorical predictor (OR, 3.94; P < .001) after accounting for other variables. Conversely, tT and SHBG levels were not associated significantly with HGPCa.

CONCLUSIONS:

E₂ was associated significantly with pathologic HGPCa, whereas SHBG and tT failed to demonstrate any association with HGPCa in patients who underwent RRP. Cancer 2011;. © 2011 American Cancer Society.