Physiologic serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D is inversely associated with prostatic Ki67 staining in a diverse sample of radical prostatectomy patients.

PURPOSE: To investigate the correlation between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D, prostatic 25 hydroxyvitamin D, and serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D, and their respective associations with prostatic tumor proliferation at the time of radical prostatectomy. METHODS: In this cross-sectional analysis of 119 men undergoing radical prostatectomy, serum from whole blood and expressed prostatic fluid was collected on the day of surgery. Tumor proliferation was measured in the dominant tumor on formalin-fixed prostatectomy tissues by immunohistochemical staining for Ki67 and quantified by Aperio imaging analysis. RESULTS: The sample included 88 African Americans (74%) and 31 (26%) European Americans. Serum and prostatic levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D were correlated with each other (Spearman's rho (ρ) = 0.27, p = 0.004), and there was also a correlation between serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D (ρ = 0.34, p < 0.001). Serum and prostatic 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels were not correlated with Ki67 staining in tumor cells. Serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D was inversely correlated with Ki67 staining in tumor cells (ρ = - 0.30, p = 0.002). On linear regression, serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D was negatively associated with Ki67 staining in tumor cells (ß - 0.46, 95% CI - 0.75, - 0.04, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: The correlation between physiologic serum levels of 25 hydroxyvitamin D with both prostatic 25 hydroxyvitamin D and serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D suggests that serum levels are reasonable biomarkers of vitamin D status. Furthermore, serum 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D has an inverse association with Ki67 staining in tumor cells at physiologic levels and may protect against tumor progression.

A comparative effectiveness analysis of the PBCG vs. PCPT risks calculators in a multi-ethnic cohort.

BACKGROUND: Predictive models that take race into account like the Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial Risk Calculator 2.0 (PCPT RC) and the new Prostate Biopsy Collaborative Group (PBCG) RC have been developed to equitably mitigate the overdiagnosis of prostate specific antigen (PSA) screening. Few studies have compared the performance of both calculators across racial groups. METHODS: From 1485 prospectively recruited participants, 954 men were identified undergoing initial prostate biopsy for abnormal PSA or digital rectal examination in five Chicago hospitals between 2009 and 2014. Discrimination, calibration, and frequency of avoided biopsies were calculated to assess the performance of both risk calculators. RESULTS: Of 954 participants, 463 (48.5%) were Black, 355 (37.2%) were White, and 136 (14.2%) identified as Other. Biopsy results were as follows: 310 (32.5%) exhibited no cancer, 323 (33.9%) indolent prostate cancer, and 321 (33.6%) clinically significant prostate cancer (csPCa). Differences in area under the curve (AUC)s for the detection of csPCa between PCPT and PBCG were not statistically different across all racial groups. PBCG did not improve calibration plots in Blacks and Others, as it showed higher levels of overprediction at most risk thresholds. PCPT led to an increased number of avoidable biopsies in minorities compared to PBCG at the 30% threshold (68% vs. 28% of all patients) with roughly similar rates of missed csPCa (23% vs. 20%). CONCLUSION: Significant improvements were noticed in PBCG's calibrations and net benefits in Whites compared to PCPT. Since PBCG's improvements in Blacks are disputable and potentially biases a greater number of low risk Black and Other men towards unnecessary biopsies, PCPT may lead to better biopsy decisions in racial minority groups. Further comparisons of commonly used risk calculators across racial groups is warranted to minimize excessive biopsies and overdiagnosis in ethnic minorities.

Contemporary Comparison of Open to Robotic Prostatectomy at a Veteran's Affairs Hospital.

INTRODUCTION: Among veterans, prostate cancer is the most common malignancy and has a higher incidence compared to the rest of the nation. No study has compared the effectiveness of Robotic-assisted-laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) vs. open radical prostatectomy (ORP) in the Veteran's Affairs (VA) hospital setting during the adoption of RALP. METHODS: Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. Retrospective review was completed on Veterans with prostate cancer who underwent ORP or RALP from March 2011 to January 2017 during the introduction of RALP at one VA hospital. Perioperative and functional outcomes between ORP and RALP were compared as well as between the initial 50 and final 53 RALPs. RESULTS: Among 91 ORPs and 153 RALPs, RALP had significant reductions in blood transfusions [2(1.3%) vs. 44(40%), p < 0.001], length of stay [2 days(1-2) vs. 3 days(2-4), p < 0.001], Clavien grade >2 complications [1(0.7%) vs. 20 (22.0%), p < 0.001], urine leak [2(1.3%) vs. 11 (12.1%), p < 0.001], and ICU readmissions [0(0%) vs. 3(3.3%), p < 0.001]. There were no significant differences in positive margin status or functional outcomes. Compared to the first 50 cases, the last 53 RALPs demonstrated a shorter operative time (349 vs. 292 min, p < 0.001), lower EBL (300 vs. 150 mL, p < 0.001), more frequent 1-day length of stay (34% vs. 60%, p = 0.02), and fewer composite adverse events (82% vs. 51%, p = 0.004). Operative time for the final 53 RALPs (292 minutes) was shorter than that of ORP (325 minutes, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: During the introduction of RALP at one VA hospital, RALP was associated with several improved parameters compared to ORP and similar operative times were noted after the first 100 cases of RALPs. RALP is safe to introduce in a VA setting without compromising outcomes.

Engaging African American Men as Citizen Scientists to Validate a Prostate Cancer Biomarker: Work-in-Progress.

BACKGROUND: African American men (AAM) are under-represented in prostate cancer (PCa) research despite known disparities. Screening with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has low specificity for high-grade PCa leading to PCa over diagnosis. The Prostate Health Index (PHI) has higher specificity for lethal PCa but needs validation in AAM. Engaging AAM as citizen scientists (CSs) may improve participation of AAM in PCa research.Results and Lessons Learned: Eight CSs completed all training modules and 139 AAM were recruited. Challenges included equity in research leadership among multiple principal investigators (PIs) and coordinating CSs trainings. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging AAM CSs can support engaging/recruiting AAM in PCa biomarker validation research. Equity among multiple stakeholders can be challenging, but proves beneficial in engaging AAM in research. OBJECTIVES: Assess feasibility of mobilizing CSs to recruit AAM as controls for PHI PCa validation biomarker study. METHODS: We highlight social networks/assets of stakeholders, CSs curriculum development/implementation, and recruitment of healthy controls for PHI validation.

Self-reported Black race predicts significant prostate cancer independent of clinical setting and clinical and socioeconomic risk factors.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Studies have linked Black race to prostate cancer (CaP) risk but most fail to account for established risk factors such as 5-ARI use, prostate volume, socioeconomic status, and hospital setting. We assess whether Black race remains associated with CaP and Gleason ≥3 + 4 CaP, after adjusting for clinical setting and socioeconomic and clinical factors at prostate biopsy, with a focus on men aged 40-54 years, who may be excluded from current screening guidelines. METHODS: We recruited 564 men age 40-79 undergoing initial prostate biopsy for abnormal PSA or digital rectal examination (DRE) from three publicly funded and two private hospitals from 2009-2014. Univariate and multivariate analyses examined the associations between hospital type, race, West African Ancestry (WAA), clinical, and sociodemographic risk factors with CaP diagnosis and Gleason ≥3 + 4 CaP. Given changes in CaP screening recommendations, we also assess the multivariate analyses for men aged 40-54. RESULTS: Black and White men had similar age, BMI, and prostate volume. Black men had higher PSA (8.10 ng/mL vs. 5.63 ng/mL) and PSA density (0.22 ng/mL/cm3 vs. 0.15 ng/mL/cm3, all p < 0.001). Blacks had higher frequency of CaP (63.1% vs. 41.5%, p<0.001) and Gleason ≥3+4 CaP relative to Whites in both public (27.7% vs 11.6%, p<0.001) and private (48.4% vs 21.6%, p = 0.002) settings. In models adjusted for age, first degree family history, prostate volume, 5-ARI use, hospital type, income, marital and educational status, Black race was independently associated with overall CaP diagnosis (OR = 2.13, p = 0.002). There was a significant multiplicative interaction with Black race and abnormal DRE for Gleason ≥3 + 4 CaP (OR = 2.93, p = 0.01). WAA was not predictive of overall or significant CaP among Black men. Black race (OR = 5.66, p = 0.02) and family history (OR = 4.98, p = 0.01) were independently positively associated with overall CaP diagnosis for men aged 40 to 54. CONCLUSIONS: Black race is independently associated with CaP and Gleason ≥3+4 CaP after accounting for clinical and socioeconomic risk factors including clinical setting and WAA, and has a higher odds ratio of CaP diagnosis in younger men. Further investigation into optimizing screening in Black men aged 40 to 54 is warranted.