Epidemiological and Genetical Profile of Prostate Cancer Cases in Tlemcen, West Algeria

Abstract

Background: According to WHO, prostate cancer is the second most frequent cancer in men. Prostate cancer is a complex, multifactorial disease with genetic and environmental factors involved in its etiology. The age, family history and the ethno-racial background are the strongest risk factors for prostate cancer. Objective: To study the epidemiological, genetical and clinical aspects of prostate cancer in Tlemcen's population. Methods: We made a cross-sectional study on 184 patients with prostate cancer received at the Urology Division of Tlemcen's teaching hospital, from 2011 to 2016, resident in Tlemcen's city. The collected information included the age at diagnosis, the geographical location, family history of cancer, Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level and Gleason score on biopsy. Results: The median age of our patients was 73 years with extremes between 53 and 7 years. The most frequent age group was 70-80 years with 50% of the total sample of 184 cases. Seventy-four percent of patients have a very high PSA level (higher than 20 ng/ml). Thirty-two percent of the cases have a highly aggressive cancer, and 66% with moderately aggressive cancer. The examination of family history shows that 37% of patients had family history of cancer, 45% of whom are prostate cancer. The inherited form of prostate cancer is noticed in 4.9% of cases. Conclusion: This study raises a number of questions, considering the high number of family history noticed in this study, and suggests the existence of genetic determinants, and the interactions gene-environment influencing the genesis of this cancer. An earlier diagnosis is essential, according to these data, especially for men at a "high risk" of this cancer, which will constitute an essential tool for more effective anti-cancer strategy.