Abstract

Background: Prostatic carcinoma carries a high morbidity and mortality if it is not diagnosed early. In resource limited countries, patients are at increased risk of being diagnosed late as they are operated for presumed benign prostatic hyperplasia. The information on the magnitude and risk factors of this problem in our setting could assist in the overall optimization of care of patients at risk.

Methods: A retrospective study of patients who underwent prostatectomy for presumed benign prostatic enlargement was done at Bugando University Hspital in Tanzania. Patients’ age, creatinine levels, urological Ultrasound, prostate specific antigen and Biopsy results were analyzed using STATA 11. The prevalence of incidental prostatic cancer was calculated and logistic regression was done for factors associated with incidental prostatic cancer.

Results: In total, 152 patients were included in this study. The median age was 69 (SD 9.4) years, 16 (10.53%,) and 49 (32.24%) participants had Hydronephrosis and elevated creatinine levels respectively. Eighty six (58.56%) patients had PSA >10 ng/mL and in total; 33 (21.71%) had incidental prostatic carcinoma. The incidental prostatic carcinoma was independently associated with age of 70- 80years (AOR=2.8, p = 0.013) and PSA levels >10ng/mL (AOR=3.2, p=0.014).

Conclusions: The prevalence of incidental prostatic carcinoma is high among patients undergoing transurethral prostatectomy for presumed benign prostatic hyperplasia in Tanzania with increased risk at age of 70-80 years and among those with PSA >10ng/mL. A national awareness campaign coupled with focused screening of patients above 60 years could increase the detection rate of prostatic carcinoma and reduce the magnitude of incidental diagnosis of this disease.